Armenian News... A Topalian...
There have been three significant church-based commemorationsof the Armenian Genocide seeking the intercession of the ArmenianMartyrs:- 28 October at Westminster Abbey, London organised by theROA Ambassador- 5 December at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin with the dedicationof a Khatchkar, a gift of gratitude to the Church of Ireland organisedby the Dublin Parish Council- and finally, on 19 December at St David's Cathedral, Wales with thededication of a specially commissioned statue, a gift of gratitudeto the Church in Wales organised by the Cardiff Parish Council
armradio.am
MINORITY KILLINGS BY IS SHOULD BE RECOGNISED AS
GENOCIDE, BRITISH MPS SAY
21 Dec 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan
The killing of minorities by so-called Islamic State should be
recognised as genocide, more than 60 British parliamentarians have
said in a letter to the PM, the BBC reports.
They urge David Cameron to use his influence to reach an agreement
with the UN that the term genocide be used.
This would send the message that those responsible would be caught,
tried and punished, the letter adds.
IS has been systematically killing minority groups including Iraqi
and Syrian Christians and Yazidis, it said.
The letter, written by MP Rob Flello and Lord Alton, said there was
clear evidence of IS assassinations of church leaders, mass murders,
torture, kidnapping for ransom in the Christian communities of Iraq
and Syria and "the sexual enslavement and systematic rape of Christian
girls and women".
It also said the group was carrying out "forcible conversions to
Islam", the destruction of churches, monasteries, cemeteries, and
Christian artifacts, and theft of lands and wealth from Christian
clergy.
The letter said: "This is not simply a matter of semantics.
"There would be two main benefits from the acceptance by the UN that
genocide is being perpetrated.
"First, it would send a very clear message to those organising and
undertaking this slaughter that at some point in the future they will
be held accountable by the international community for their actions;
they will be caught, tried and punished.
"Second, it would encourage the 127 nations that are signatories to
the Convention to face up to their duty to take the necessary action to
'prevent and punish' the perpetrators of these evil acts."
21 Dec 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan
The killing of minorities by so-called Islamic State should be
recognised as genocide, more than 60 British parliamentarians have
said in a letter to the PM, the BBC reports.
They urge David Cameron to use his influence to reach an agreement
with the UN that the term genocide be used.
This would send the message that those responsible would be caught,
tried and punished, the letter adds.
IS has been systematically killing minority groups including Iraqi
and Syrian Christians and Yazidis, it said.
The letter, written by MP Rob Flello and Lord Alton, said there was
clear evidence of IS assassinations of church leaders, mass murders,
torture, kidnapping for ransom in the Christian communities of Iraq
and Syria and "the sexual enslavement and systematic rape of Christian
girls and women".
It also said the group was carrying out "forcible conversions to
Islam", the destruction of churches, monasteries, cemeteries, and
Christian artifacts, and theft of lands and wealth from Christian
clergy.
The letter said: "This is not simply a matter of semantics.
"There would be two main benefits from the acceptance by the UN that
genocide is being perpetrated.
"First, it would send a very clear message to those organising and
undertaking this slaughter that at some point in the future they will
be held accountable by the international community for their actions;
they will be caught, tried and punished.
"Second, it would encourage the 127 nations that are signatories to
the Convention to face up to their duty to take the necessary action to
'prevent and punish' the perpetrators of these evil acts."
Hurriyet Daily news, Turkey
Dec 18 2015
Christian refugees face difficulties, hide religion in Turkey
Rifat BaÅ?aran
Some 45,000 Christians who fled Syria and Iraq are forced to hide
their religious identity in the Turkish provinces of Yozgat, Aksaray
and Çorum.
Around 45,000 Armenians, Syriacs and Chaldean Christians who fled to
Turkey have applied to the United Nations to be able to go on to the
U.S., Canada or Austria and have been granted residency in Turkey
until 2023. Most now live in small Anatolian cities including Yozgat,
Aksaray, Çorum, Amasya, KırÅ?ehir, Erzurum, and Afyonkarahisar.
The Syriac and Armenian Patriarchates, the Istanbul Syriac Orthodox
Church and a number of NGOs are supporting many of these refugees
financially, but their problems go far beyond financial struggles.
For the Armenians, the situation has a historic angle, as many are
returning to lands that their ancestors were forced to leave 100 years
ago.
Anonis Alis Salciyan, an Armenian who fled Iraq one year ago with her
family and then settled in the Central Anatolian city of Yozgat, told
Hürriyet that they pretended to be Muslim in public. A picture of the
Virgin Mary hung on the wall next to a plastic Christmas tree in the
room where the Salciyan family lives.
Anonis' ancestors were driven from Anatolia by the Ottoman authorities
and local Muslims a century ago. One hundred years later, they have
once again been forced to leave their country.
`My family was originally from [the southeastern Turkish province of]
Van. My husband's family came from [the southeastern province of]
Gaziantep. My husband and I fled [Iraq] with our two children one year
ago with around 20 other families. There was pressure on us in Iraq,'
Anonis' said, recalling that her husband, who ran a jewelry shop in
Iraq, is unemployed in Yozgat.
`We have relatives in Europe. We are only getting by thanks to their
support,' she added.
Salciyan also said her children were struggling in their new life in
Turkey because they cannot speak the language.
`Our children cannot go to school here because they cannot speak
Turkish. They can only communicate with the children of other Armenian
families who have moved here,' she said.
Girl who hasn't spoken since ISIL raided home in Baghdad
Linda and Vahan Markaryan also decided to flee to Turkey with their
two children when their home in Baghdad was raided by militants of the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
`When ISIL militants raided our house in Baghdad last year, my
daughter NuÅ?ik was seven. She stopped talking on that day and has
never spoken again since then. We are now living in Yozgat. We are
working hard to provide her treatment, but she still won't speak,'
said Linda.
`We do not have a future here. Everything in our lives is uncertain.
Our only wish is to provide a better future for our children in a
place where they are safe and secure,' she added.
She also said it was hard for them to practice their religion because
of public pressure.
`We are pious people, but we have to conduct our sermons and prayers
at home. This is hard,' she said.
Her husband, who was an electricity technician in Baghdad, said he
struggled to work in Yozgat.
`We are only working in temporary jobs in places like construction
sites. The others workers [Turkish citizens] are paid around 100
Turkish Liras a day but we are only paid 25 liras a day for the same
work. We cannot demand our rights,' he said.
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Selina DoÄ?an,
who is also of Armenian origin, has visited Armenian families in
Yozgat during preparation of a report for the CHP's Research
Commission on Migrants and Refugees.
armradio.am
AZERBAIJAN USES HOWITZER CANNON TO SHELL ARMENIAN
DEFENSE POSITIONS
21 Dec 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan
The rival used artillery weapons of different caliber as at fired more
than 1,700 shots in the southern direction (Hadrut) of the line of
contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan
last night.
According to the NKR Ministry of Defense, the Azerbaijani side used 60,
82and 120 mm mortars, TR-107 missile units and 122 mm D-30 howitzer
cannon.
The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army resorted to retaliatory
actions to pressure the activeness of the rival and confidently
continued with their military duty all along the line of contact.
21 Dec 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan
The rival used artillery weapons of different caliber as at fired more
than 1,700 shots in the southern direction (Hadrut) of the line of
contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan
last night.
According to the NKR Ministry of Defense, the Azerbaijani side used 60,
82and 120 mm mortars, TR-107 missile units and 122 mm D-30 howitzer
cannon.
The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army resorted to retaliatory
actions to pressure the activeness of the rival and confidently
continued with their military duty all along the line of contact.
RUSSIA REINFORCES ARMENIA BASE WITH ATTACK,
DEFENCE HELICOPTERS - INTERFAX
Reuters
Dec 21 2015
MOSCOW Russia has reinforced its air base in Armenia with attack and
transport helicopters, Interfax news agency cited the Russian military
as saying on Monday.
A total of six Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters have been sent to the base
near the capital city of Yerevan, Interfax reported. Russia deployed
seven helicopters to Armenia earlier in December.
Reuters
Dec 21 2015
MOSCOW Russia has reinforced its air base in Armenia with attack and
transport helicopters, Interfax news agency cited the Russian military
as saying on Monday.
A total of six Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters have been sent to the base
near the capital city of Yerevan, Interfax reported. Russia deployed
seven helicopters to Armenia earlier in December.
RFE/RL Report
Armenia Again Chides Ex-Soviet Allies Over Karabakh
21.12.2015
Armenia on Monday again criticized other ex-Soviet states aligned in
the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for not openly
backing it in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, saying that their stance
undermines the credibility of the Russian-led defense pact.
Speaking at a CSTO summit in Moscow, President Serzh Sarkisian said
they should "learn" from NATO member states' unanimous support for
Turkey shown after last month's downing of a Russian warplane near the
Syrian-Turkish border.
"Every time the armed forces of Azerbaijan use various small arms,
mortars and artillery systems against the Republic of Armenia, they
also shoot at Astana, Dushanbe, Bishkek, Moscow and Minsk," he said,
listing the capitals of three Central Asian states as well as Russia
and Belarus.
Sarkisian cited a clause in the CSTO statutes stipulating that
military aggression against one CSTO member also constitutes an attack
on its military allies. "If we not only do not apply this article, do
not discuss the existing situation, do not bother to pick up the phone
and find out what is happening in allied Armenia but also vote against
its interests in international organizations # then we simply put our
whole Organization and its prestige and significance under that fire,"
he warned.
The remarks seemed primarily addressed to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and
Tajikistan. The three Muslim nations have traditionally warm ties with
Azerbaijan.
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan signed up in 2013 to a declaration of Turkic
states that called for a Karabakh settlement "within Azerbaijan's
internationally recognized borders." They well as Tajikistan had
previously backed even more pro-Azerbaijani statements adopted by the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Armenian leaders have repeatedly criticized those moves. As recently
as in September, Colonel-General Yuri Khachaturov, the chief of the
Armenian army's General Staff, voiced Yerevan's discontent with its
allies following an upsurge in fighting along the Armenian-Azerbaijani
border and "the line of contact" around Karabakh. A few days later,
Nikolay Bordyuzha, the CSTO's Russian secretary general, condemned
Azerbaijan for shelling Armenian villages.
In his speech at the Moscow summit publicized by his office, Sarkisian
said that Baku has since raised fighting in the conflict zone to "a
new and very dangerous level." "One should not exclude that Azerbaijan
has done that with external assistance and encouragement," he said,
seemingly hinting at Turkey.
It was not clear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin and other
CSTO leaders responded to the criticism during the summit. Sarkisian,
whose country currently holds the CSTO's rotating presidency, did not
mention the issue when he made a statement to the press after the
meeting.
4 REASONS WHY AZERBAIJAN WON'T START WAR:
KARABAKH OFFICIAL
December 21, 2015
A large-scale war is unlikely to break out between Armenia and
A large-scale war is unlikely to break out between Armenia and
Azerbaijan, David Babayan, spokesman for the President
of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic said, according to Tert.am.
On the other hand, he noted, it does not mean that Azerbaijan will
stop its policy of provocations.
"A large-scale war won't start for a number of reasons. To see into
the motives behind Azerbaijan's steps, we must better understand the
state's way of thinking, life style, values and domestic situation,"
Babayan said.
One of the primary reasons for Azerbaijan no to unleash large-scale
hostilities is politico-military balance between the conflicting
parties. That is, Azerbaijan is unable to war against Armenia and
Karabakh and win, the spokesperson noted.
The second reason is that "the superpowers, which currently serve as
mediating countries, do not want war."
"Starting a war is a most serious geopolitical act; unleashing the
1990s war was much easier because of a geopolitical vacuum in the
Transcaucasia. The USSR collapse left a vacuum, with no global power
being able to prevent the war. But the situation is different now
because of global actors' interests in Azerbaijan, among them being
the West, Russia and Iran."
By starting a war Azerbaijan will isolate itself from the world,
Babayan stated.
"That prevents Ilham Aliyev from taking practical steps, which
would prove disastrous for Azerbaijan and the Aliyev clan, given the
processes inside the country," Babayan said.
One more reason why Azerbaijan will not start a war is the ruling
clan's weakening positions in Azerbaijan and, as a consequence,
persecution of not only opposition members, but also government bodies
- arrests and resignations in Azerbaijan's foreign office and police.
Also, Babayan welcomed the very fact of the meeting between Presidents
Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev after a year's break, "as they help
maintain stability in the region."
The official is sure, however, that Azerbaijan will continue
"Turkey-backed" attacks on the border. This echoes the Azerbaijani
Defense Minister's statements in Turkey claiming to not be "afraid
of anything as long as our big brother backs us."
Agence France Presse
December 18, 2015
Russian soldier on trial for killing Armenia family
A Russian soldier accused of killing seven members of an Armenian
family including children after fleeing his military base went on
trial for murder in Armenia on Friday.
Conscripted soldier Valery Permyakov is accused of murdering a man and
a woman, their grown son and daughter, the daughter-in-law and two
grandchildren in their home in Gyumri, some 55 miles (90 kilometres)
from the capital Yerevan.
Six of the victims, including the couple's two-year-old granddaughter,
were shot dead, while their six-month-old grandson was stabbed to
death in a rampage in January that sparked protests by locals
demanding justice.
Broadcast live by Armenian TV stations, the trial began in tight
security at a Russian military base in Gyumri presided over by an
Armenian judge.
"Why is the trial being held at the Russian base? Are we the Russians'
captives?!" shouted Rita Petrosyan, a relative of the slain Avetisyan
family family who was inside the the packed courtroom.
Other relatives yelled "Shame!" and "May God damn you!" as the
19-year-old soldier sat on the bench with his head down.
Addressing the court, a lawyer for relatives said Permyakov was a
member of a "Satanist group" who had pledged on social networks he
would to "kill several men and several women as part of his pact with
the devil."
Permyakov was arrested after trying to flee to Turkey. His boots and
Kalashnikov rifle were found at the murder scene.
Since then, he has been held at the Gyumri base, with Armenia's
general prosecutor saying he could not be handed over because he was a
Russian citizen being held in Russian jurisdiction.
But the decision sparked outrage and a wave of rare anti-Moscow
protests in the landlocked Caucasus nation, which has a population of
2.9 million, with thousands rallying in Gyumri and Yerevan to demand
he put on trial over the killings.
In a bid to calm the situation, Russia agreed to try him on charges of
desertion while also allowing him to be tried for murder by an
Armenian judge -- but with the trial held at the base.
During his desertion trial in August, Russian military tribunal
sentenced him to 10 years in jail for deserting his base in the
ex-Soviet state which is a close ally of Russia.
Hurriyet Daily news, Turkey
Dec 18 2015
Christian refugees face difficulties, hide religion in Turkey
Rifat BaÅ?aran
Some 45,000 Christians who fled Syria and Iraq are forced to hide
their religious identity in the Turkish provinces of Yozgat, Aksaray
and Çorum.
Around 45,000 Armenians, Syriacs and Chaldean Christians who fled to
Turkey have applied to the United Nations to be able to go on to the
U.S., Canada or Austria and have been granted residency in Turkey
until 2023. Most now live in small Anatolian cities including Yozgat,
Aksaray, Çorum, Amasya, KırÅ?ehir, Erzurum, and Afyonkarahisar.
The Syriac and Armenian Patriarchates, the Istanbul Syriac Orthodox
Church and a number of NGOs are supporting many of these refugees
financially, but their problems go far beyond financial struggles.
For the Armenians, the situation has a historic angle, as many are
returning to lands that their ancestors were forced to leave 100 years
ago.
Anonis Alis Salciyan, an Armenian who fled Iraq one year ago with her
family and then settled in the Central Anatolian city of Yozgat, told
Hürriyet that they pretended to be Muslim in public. A picture of the
Virgin Mary hung on the wall next to a plastic Christmas tree in the
room where the Salciyan family lives.
Anonis' ancestors were driven from Anatolia by the Ottoman authorities
and local Muslims a century ago. One hundred years later, they have
once again been forced to leave their country.
`My family was originally from [the southeastern Turkish province of]
Van. My husband's family came from [the southeastern province of]
Gaziantep. My husband and I fled [Iraq] with our two children one year
ago with around 20 other families. There was pressure on us in Iraq,'
Anonis' said, recalling that her husband, who ran a jewelry shop in
Iraq, is unemployed in Yozgat.
`We have relatives in Europe. We are only getting by thanks to their
support,' she added.
Salciyan also said her children were struggling in their new life in
Turkey because they cannot speak the language.
`Our children cannot go to school here because they cannot speak
Turkish. They can only communicate with the children of other Armenian
families who have moved here,' she said.
Girl who hasn't spoken since ISIL raided home in Baghdad
Linda and Vahan Markaryan also decided to flee to Turkey with their
two children when their home in Baghdad was raided by militants of the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
`When ISIL militants raided our house in Baghdad last year, my
daughter NuÅ?ik was seven. She stopped talking on that day and has
never spoken again since then. We are now living in Yozgat. We are
working hard to provide her treatment, but she still won't speak,'
said Linda.
`We do not have a future here. Everything in our lives is uncertain.
Our only wish is to provide a better future for our children in a
place where they are safe and secure,' she added.
She also said it was hard for them to practice their religion because
of public pressure.
`We are pious people, but we have to conduct our sermons and prayers
at home. This is hard,' she said.
Her husband, who was an electricity technician in Baghdad, said he
struggled to work in Yozgat.
`We are only working in temporary jobs in places like construction
sites. The others workers [Turkish citizens] are paid around 100
Turkish Liras a day but we are only paid 25 liras a day for the same
work. We cannot demand our rights,' he said.
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Selina DoÄ?an,
who is also of Armenian origin, has visited Armenian families in
Yozgat during preparation of a report for the CHP's Research
Commission on Migrants and Refugees.
APA, Azerbaijan
Dec 17 2015
Baku hosts press conference `Lavash, common heritage of Turks'
Baku. Javid Zeynalli ` APA. A press conference on the subject `Lavash,
common heritage of Turks' was held in Baku on Dec.17.
The press conference took place as part of the project `Day of
Lavash', organized jointly by the ministries of culture and tourism of
Azerbaijan and Turkey, and Yunus Emre Institute in Baku.
Ibrahim Yildirim, the representative of Yunus Emre Institute in Baku,
said lavash will be promoted in buses in Baku within the one-month
project.
Tahir Amiraslanov, director of the Azerbaijani National Culinary
Center, said the project aims to draw public attention to the fact
that Armenia is trying to appropriate lavash, the oldest sample of our
national cuisine.
It was mentioned that though on November 26, lavash was presented by
Armenia in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage to
UNESCO as `Tradition of baking Armenian bread-lavash', the Armenian
provocation was prevented as a result of Azerbaijan's objection and
activities carried out in this regard. Thus, the name of the file was
changed in accordance with the requirements of the UNESCO Convention
revealing that lavash doesn't belong to the Armenian nation, it only
exists in Armenia too.
The Oxford Times, UK
December 17, 2015 Thursday
Bodleian exhibition showcases sacred treasure of the rich
of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic said, according to Tert.am.
On the other hand, he noted, it does not mean that Azerbaijan will
stop its policy of provocations.
"A large-scale war won't start for a number of reasons. To see into
the motives behind Azerbaijan's steps, we must better understand the
state's way of thinking, life style, values and domestic situation,"
Babayan said.
One of the primary reasons for Azerbaijan no to unleash large-scale
hostilities is politico-military balance between the conflicting
parties. That is, Azerbaijan is unable to war against Armenia and
Karabakh and win, the spokesperson noted.
The second reason is that "the superpowers, which currently serve as
mediating countries, do not want war."
"Starting a war is a most serious geopolitical act; unleashing the
1990s war was much easier because of a geopolitical vacuum in the
Transcaucasia. The USSR collapse left a vacuum, with no global power
being able to prevent the war. But the situation is different now
because of global actors' interests in Azerbaijan, among them being
the West, Russia and Iran."
By starting a war Azerbaijan will isolate itself from the world,
Babayan stated.
"That prevents Ilham Aliyev from taking practical steps, which
would prove disastrous for Azerbaijan and the Aliyev clan, given the
processes inside the country," Babayan said.
One more reason why Azerbaijan will not start a war is the ruling
clan's weakening positions in Azerbaijan and, as a consequence,
persecution of not only opposition members, but also government bodies
- arrests and resignations in Azerbaijan's foreign office and police.
Also, Babayan welcomed the very fact of the meeting between Presidents
Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev after a year's break, "as they help
maintain stability in the region."
The official is sure, however, that Azerbaijan will continue
"Turkey-backed" attacks on the border. This echoes the Azerbaijani
Defense Minister's statements in Turkey claiming to not be "afraid
of anything as long as our big brother backs us."
Agence France Presse
December 18, 2015
Russian soldier on trial for killing Armenia family
A Russian soldier accused of killing seven members of an Armenian
family including children after fleeing his military base went on
trial for murder in Armenia on Friday.
Conscripted soldier Valery Permyakov is accused of murdering a man and
a woman, their grown son and daughter, the daughter-in-law and two
grandchildren in their home in Gyumri, some 55 miles (90 kilometres)
from the capital Yerevan.
Six of the victims, including the couple's two-year-old granddaughter,
were shot dead, while their six-month-old grandson was stabbed to
death in a rampage in January that sparked protests by locals
demanding justice.
Broadcast live by Armenian TV stations, the trial began in tight
security at a Russian military base in Gyumri presided over by an
Armenian judge.
"Why is the trial being held at the Russian base? Are we the Russians'
captives?!" shouted Rita Petrosyan, a relative of the slain Avetisyan
family family who was inside the the packed courtroom.
Other relatives yelled "Shame!" and "May God damn you!" as the
19-year-old soldier sat on the bench with his head down.
Addressing the court, a lawyer for relatives said Permyakov was a
member of a "Satanist group" who had pledged on social networks he
would to "kill several men and several women as part of his pact with
the devil."
Permyakov was arrested after trying to flee to Turkey. His boots and
Kalashnikov rifle were found at the murder scene.
Since then, he has been held at the Gyumri base, with Armenia's
general prosecutor saying he could not be handed over because he was a
Russian citizen being held in Russian jurisdiction.
But the decision sparked outrage and a wave of rare anti-Moscow
protests in the landlocked Caucasus nation, which has a population of
2.9 million, with thousands rallying in Gyumri and Yerevan to demand
he put on trial over the killings.
In a bid to calm the situation, Russia agreed to try him on charges of
desertion while also allowing him to be tried for murder by an
Armenian judge -- but with the trial held at the base.
During his desertion trial in August, Russian military tribunal
sentenced him to 10 years in jail for deserting his base in the
ex-Soviet state which is a close ally of Russia.
Hurriyet Daily news, Turkey
Dec 18 2015
Christian refugees face difficulties, hide religion in Turkey
Rifat BaÅ?aran
Some 45,000 Christians who fled Syria and Iraq are forced to hide
their religious identity in the Turkish provinces of Yozgat, Aksaray
and Çorum.
Around 45,000 Armenians, Syriacs and Chaldean Christians who fled to
Turkey have applied to the United Nations to be able to go on to the
U.S., Canada or Austria and have been granted residency in Turkey
until 2023. Most now live in small Anatolian cities including Yozgat,
Aksaray, Çorum, Amasya, KırÅ?ehir, Erzurum, and Afyonkarahisar.
The Syriac and Armenian Patriarchates, the Istanbul Syriac Orthodox
Church and a number of NGOs are supporting many of these refugees
financially, but their problems go far beyond financial struggles.
For the Armenians, the situation has a historic angle, as many are
returning to lands that their ancestors were forced to leave 100 years
ago.
Anonis Alis Salciyan, an Armenian who fled Iraq one year ago with her
family and then settled in the Central Anatolian city of Yozgat, told
Hürriyet that they pretended to be Muslim in public. A picture of the
Virgin Mary hung on the wall next to a plastic Christmas tree in the
room where the Salciyan family lives.
Anonis' ancestors were driven from Anatolia by the Ottoman authorities
and local Muslims a century ago. One hundred years later, they have
once again been forced to leave their country.
`My family was originally from [the southeastern Turkish province of]
Van. My husband's family came from [the southeastern province of]
Gaziantep. My husband and I fled [Iraq] with our two children one year
ago with around 20 other families. There was pressure on us in Iraq,'
Anonis' said, recalling that her husband, who ran a jewelry shop in
Iraq, is unemployed in Yozgat.
`We have relatives in Europe. We are only getting by thanks to their
support,' she added.
Salciyan also said her children were struggling in their new life in
Turkey because they cannot speak the language.
`Our children cannot go to school here because they cannot speak
Turkish. They can only communicate with the children of other Armenian
families who have moved here,' she said.
Girl who hasn't spoken since ISIL raided home in Baghdad
Linda and Vahan Markaryan also decided to flee to Turkey with their
two children when their home in Baghdad was raided by militants of the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
`When ISIL militants raided our house in Baghdad last year, my
daughter NuÅ?ik was seven. She stopped talking on that day and has
never spoken again since then. We are now living in Yozgat. We are
working hard to provide her treatment, but she still won't speak,'
said Linda.
`We do not have a future here. Everything in our lives is uncertain.
Our only wish is to provide a better future for our children in a
place where they are safe and secure,' she added.
She also said it was hard for them to practice their religion because
of public pressure.
`We are pious people, but we have to conduct our sermons and prayers
at home. This is hard,' she said.
Her husband, who was an electricity technician in Baghdad, said he
struggled to work in Yozgat.
`We are only working in temporary jobs in places like construction
sites. The others workers [Turkish citizens] are paid around 100
Turkish Liras a day but we are only paid 25 liras a day for the same
work. We cannot demand our rights,' he said.
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Selina DoÄ?an,
who is also of Armenian origin, has visited Armenian families in
Yozgat during preparation of a report for the CHP's Research
Commission on Migrants and Refugees.
APA, Azerbaijan
Dec 17 2015
Baku hosts press conference `Lavash, common heritage of Turks'
Baku. Javid Zeynalli ` APA. A press conference on the subject `Lavash,
common heritage of Turks' was held in Baku on Dec.17.
The press conference took place as part of the project `Day of
Lavash', organized jointly by the ministries of culture and tourism of
Azerbaijan and Turkey, and Yunus Emre Institute in Baku.
Ibrahim Yildirim, the representative of Yunus Emre Institute in Baku,
said lavash will be promoted in buses in Baku within the one-month
project.
Tahir Amiraslanov, director of the Azerbaijani National Culinary
Center, said the project aims to draw public attention to the fact
that Armenia is trying to appropriate lavash, the oldest sample of our
national cuisine.
It was mentioned that though on November 26, lavash was presented by
Armenia in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage to
UNESCO as `Tradition of baking Armenian bread-lavash', the Armenian
provocation was prevented as a result of Azerbaijan's objection and
activities carried out in this regard. Thus, the name of the file was
changed in accordance with the requirements of the UNESCO Convention
revealing that lavash doesn't belong to the Armenian nation, it only
exists in Armenia too.
The Oxford Times, UK
December 17, 2015 Thursday
Bodleian exhibition showcases sacred treasure of the rich
Armenian culture
by Sarah Mayhew Craddock
Uncovering a rich cultural heritage that spans more than
two-and-a-half millennia, an exhibition of rare Armenian masterpieces
on display in at the Bodleian Library offers a glimpse into the early
days of Christianity.
It celebrates more than 2,500 years of history and culture of the
mountainous Caucasian nation, in a sumptuous display of over 100
manuscripts, books, sacred objects and everyday artefacts from the
Armenian community presented alongside treasures from the Bodleian's
magnificent collections.
"Armenian culture has shaped humanity and given it great gifts, from
precious manuscripts, literature and art to religious and secular
music," said Theo Maarten van Lint. "In this exhibition, we present to
the public the historical, artistic and other cultural achievements of
a people not often in the focus of the public eye, in an effort to
educate, fascinate and create a dialogue between nations and peoples."
The objects selected for display have been gathered from private and
national collections in Armenia, the Netherlands and the UK and
demonstrate the enormous achievements of a nation with a fascinating
and often turbulent history. It was initially conceived by exhibition
curator, Theo Maarten van Lint, the Calouste Gulbenkian Professor of
Armenian Studies at Oxford, in 2002.
Classicist Robin Meyer was invited to co-curate the exhibition
alongside Maarten van Lint, who says: "The University of Oxford has
been engaged with Armenia and its culture for more than 400 years,
ever since Archbishop Laud, the then Chancellor of the University
donated Armenian manuscripts to the Bodleian Library."
Making a conscious effort to highlight Armenian endurance through
times of suffering and hardship, notably the genocide perpetrated
against the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during World War
I (it is estimated that between 800,000 and 1.5 million people were
killed, starting with 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders
in Constantinople on 24 April 1915) and reflecting upon the reputation
that Armenians have gained for smiling in the face of adversity,
Maarten van Lint explained the importance of the show's timing.
"2015 marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment in the
University of Oxford of the Calouste Gulbenkian Professorship of
Armenian Studies," he said .
"Survivors spread worldwide, and came also to Britain. So 2015 is in
more than one way a milestone, and the combination of commemoration
with celebration is very apt in an Armenian context: embracing life
and creating a meaningful, joyous future, despite the sorrows
inflicted upon them is very much the Armenians' attitude, one that the
organisers of the exhibition wholeheartedly subscribe to."
Highlights of the exhibition include a venerated holy book containing
mystical prayer poems with healing powers on loan from a UK-based
Armenian family who have passed down their copy through generations, a
brightly coloured gospel manuscript featuring a 'hidden demon' that
has been rubbed out over the centuries by pious readers, and a
collection of 20 ancient coins telling the story of Armenia's
political and economic history.
But, as always. it is the human stories behind the objects which make
this essential exhibition a delight.
Where and when
Armenia: Masterpieces from an Enduring Culture exhibition is at the
Bodleian Library, Oxford.
For more information visit bodleian.ox.ac.uk/Armenia
by Sarah Mayhew Craddock
Uncovering a rich cultural heritage that spans more than
two-and-a-half millennia, an exhibition of rare Armenian masterpieces
on display in at the Bodleian Library offers a glimpse into the early
days of Christianity.
It celebrates more than 2,500 years of history and culture of the
mountainous Caucasian nation, in a sumptuous display of over 100
manuscripts, books, sacred objects and everyday artefacts from the
Armenian community presented alongside treasures from the Bodleian's
magnificent collections.
"Armenian culture has shaped humanity and given it great gifts, from
precious manuscripts, literature and art to religious and secular
music," said Theo Maarten van Lint. "In this exhibition, we present to
the public the historical, artistic and other cultural achievements of
a people not often in the focus of the public eye, in an effort to
educate, fascinate and create a dialogue between nations and peoples."
The objects selected for display have been gathered from private and
national collections in Armenia, the Netherlands and the UK and
demonstrate the enormous achievements of a nation with a fascinating
and often turbulent history. It was initially conceived by exhibition
curator, Theo Maarten van Lint, the Calouste Gulbenkian Professor of
Armenian Studies at Oxford, in 2002.
Classicist Robin Meyer was invited to co-curate the exhibition
alongside Maarten van Lint, who says: "The University of Oxford has
been engaged with Armenia and its culture for more than 400 years,
ever since Archbishop Laud, the then Chancellor of the University
donated Armenian manuscripts to the Bodleian Library."
Making a conscious effort to highlight Armenian endurance through
times of suffering and hardship, notably the genocide perpetrated
against the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during World War
I (it is estimated that between 800,000 and 1.5 million people were
killed, starting with 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders
in Constantinople on 24 April 1915) and reflecting upon the reputation
that Armenians have gained for smiling in the face of adversity,
Maarten van Lint explained the importance of the show's timing.
"2015 marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment in the
University of Oxford of the Calouste Gulbenkian Professorship of
Armenian Studies," he said .
"Survivors spread worldwide, and came also to Britain. So 2015 is in
more than one way a milestone, and the combination of commemoration
with celebration is very apt in an Armenian context: embracing life
and creating a meaningful, joyous future, despite the sorrows
inflicted upon them is very much the Armenians' attitude, one that the
organisers of the exhibition wholeheartedly subscribe to."
Highlights of the exhibition include a venerated holy book containing
mystical prayer poems with healing powers on loan from a UK-based
Armenian family who have passed down their copy through generations, a
brightly coloured gospel manuscript featuring a 'hidden demon' that
has been rubbed out over the centuries by pious readers, and a
collection of 20 ancient coins telling the story of Armenia's
political and economic history.
But, as always. it is the human stories behind the objects which make
this essential exhibition a delight.
Where and when
Armenia: Masterpieces from an Enduring Culture exhibition is at the
Bodleian Library, Oxford.
For more information visit bodleian.ox.ac.uk/Armenia
You can reply to this email to add a comment to this file.© 2015 Dropbox, PO Box 77767, San Francisco, CA 94107
There have been three significant church-based commemorationsof the Armenian Genocide seeking the intercession of the ArmenianMartyrs:- 28 October at Westminster Abbey, London organised by theROA Ambassador- 5 December at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin with the dedicationof a Khatchkar, a gift of gratitude to the Church of Ireland organisedby the Dublin Parish Council- and finally, on 19 December at St David's Cathedral, Wales with thededication of a specially commissioned statue, a gift of gratitudeto the Church in Wales organised by the Cardiff Parish CouncilSee the video of the unveiling of the last event:
armradio.amMINORITY KILLINGS BY IS SHOULD BE RECOGNISED ASGENOCIDE, BRITISH MPS SAY
21 Dec 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan
The killing of minorities by so-called Islamic State should be
recognised as genocide, more than 60 British parliamentarians have
said in a letter to the PM, the BBC reports.
They urge David Cameron to use his influence to reach an agreement
with the UN that the term genocide be used.
This would send the message that those responsible would be caught,
tried and punished, the letter adds.
IS has been systematically killing minority groups including Iraqi
and Syrian Christians and Yazidis, it said.
The letter, written by MP Rob Flello and Lord Alton, said there was
clear evidence of IS assassinations of church leaders, mass murders,
torture, kidnapping for ransom in the Christian communities of Iraq
and Syria and "the sexual enslavement and systematic rape of Christian
girls and women".
It also said the group was carrying out "forcible conversions to
Islam", the destruction of churches, monasteries, cemeteries, and
Christian artifacts, and theft of lands and wealth from Christian
clergy.
The letter said: "This is not simply a matter of semantics.
"There would be two main benefits from the acceptance by the UN that
genocide is being perpetrated.
"First, it would send a very clear message to those organising and
undertaking this slaughter that at some point in the future they will
be held accountable by the international community for their actions;
they will be caught, tried and punished.
"Second, it would encourage the 127 nations that are signatories to
the Convention to face up to their duty to take the necessary action to
'prevent and punish' the perpetrators of these evil acts."
Hurriyet Daily news, Turkey
Dec 18 2015
Christian refugees face difficulties, hide religion in Turkey
Rifat BaÅ?aran
Some 45,000 Christians who fled Syria and Iraq are forced to hide
their religious identity in the Turkish provinces of Yozgat, Aksaray
and Çorum.
Around 45,000 Armenians, Syriacs and Chaldean Christians who fled to
Turkey have applied to the United Nations to be able to go on to the
U.S., Canada or Austria and have been granted residency in Turkey
until 2023. Most now live in small Anatolian cities including Yozgat,
Aksaray, Çorum, Amasya, KırÅ?ehir, Erzurum, and Afyonkarahisar.
The Syriac and Armenian Patriarchates, the Istanbul Syriac Orthodox
Church and a number of NGOs are supporting many of these refugees
financially, but their problems go far beyond financial struggles.
For the Armenians, the situation has a historic angle, as many are
returning to lands that their ancestors were forced to leave 100 years
ago.
Anonis Alis Salciyan, an Armenian who fled Iraq one year ago with her
family and then settled in the Central Anatolian city of Yozgat, told
Hürriyet that they pretended to be Muslim in public. A picture of the
Virgin Mary hung on the wall next to a plastic Christmas tree in the
room where the Salciyan family lives.
Anonis' ancestors were driven from Anatolia by the Ottoman authorities
and local Muslims a century ago. One hundred years later, they have
once again been forced to leave their country.
`My family was originally from [the southeastern Turkish province of]
Van. My husband's family came from [the southeastern province of]
Gaziantep. My husband and I fled [Iraq] with our two children one year
ago with around 20 other families. There was pressure on us in Iraq,'
Anonis' said, recalling that her husband, who ran a jewelry shop in
Iraq, is unemployed in Yozgat.
`We have relatives in Europe. We are only getting by thanks to their
support,' she added.
Salciyan also said her children were struggling in their new life in
Turkey because they cannot speak the language.
`Our children cannot go to school here because they cannot speak
Turkish. They can only communicate with the children of other Armenian
families who have moved here,' she said.
Girl who hasn't spoken since ISIL raided home in Baghdad
Linda and Vahan Markaryan also decided to flee to Turkey with their
two children when their home in Baghdad was raided by militants of the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
`When ISIL militants raided our house in Baghdad last year, my
daughter NuÅ?ik was seven. She stopped talking on that day and has
never spoken again since then. We are now living in Yozgat. We are
working hard to provide her treatment, but she still won't speak,'
said Linda.
`We do not have a future here. Everything in our lives is uncertain.
Our only wish is to provide a better future for our children in a
place where they are safe and secure,' she added.
She also said it was hard for them to practice their religion because
of public pressure.
`We are pious people, but we have to conduct our sermons and prayers
at home. This is hard,' she said.
Her husband, who was an electricity technician in Baghdad, said he
struggled to work in Yozgat.
`We are only working in temporary jobs in places like construction
sites. The others workers [Turkish citizens] are paid around 100
Turkish Liras a day but we are only paid 25 liras a day for the same
work. We cannot demand our rights,' he said.
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Selina DoÄ?an,
who is also of Armenian origin, has visited Armenian families in
Yozgat during preparation of a report for the CHP's Research
Commission on Migrants and Refugees.armradio.amAZERBAIJAN USES HOWITZER CANNON TO SHELL ARMENIANDEFENSE POSITIONS
21 Dec 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan
The rival used artillery weapons of different caliber as at fired more
than 1,700 shots in the southern direction (Hadrut) of the line of
contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan
last night.
According to the NKR Ministry of Defense, the Azerbaijani side used 60,
82and 120 mm mortars, TR-107 missile units and 122 mm D-30 howitzer
cannon.
The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army resorted to retaliatory
actions to pressure the activeness of the rival and confidently
continued with their military duty all along the line of contact.
RUSSIA REINFORCES ARMENIA BASE WITH ATTACK,DEFENCE HELICOPTERS - INTERFAX
Reuters
Dec 21 2015
MOSCOW Russia has reinforced its air base in Armenia with attack and
transport helicopters, Interfax news agency cited the Russian military
as saying on Monday.
A total of six Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters have been sent to the base
near the capital city of Yerevan, Interfax reported. Russia deployed
seven helicopters to Armenia earlier in December.
RFE/RL Report
Armenia Again Chides Ex-Soviet Allies Over Karabakh
21.12.2015
Armenia on Monday again criticized other ex-Soviet states aligned in
the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for not openly
backing it in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, saying that their stance
undermines the credibility of the Russian-led defense pact.
Speaking at a CSTO summit in Moscow, President Serzh Sarkisian said
they should "learn" from NATO member states' unanimous support for
Turkey shown after last month's downing of a Russian warplane near the
Syrian-Turkish border.
"Every time the armed forces of Azerbaijan use various small arms,
mortars and artillery systems against the Republic of Armenia, they
also shoot at Astana, Dushanbe, Bishkek, Moscow and Minsk," he said,
listing the capitals of three Central Asian states as well as Russia
and Belarus.
Sarkisian cited a clause in the CSTO statutes stipulating that
military aggression against one CSTO member also constitutes an attack
on its military allies. "If we not only do not apply this article, do
not discuss the existing situation, do not bother to pick up the phone
and find out what is happening in allied Armenia but also vote against
its interests in international organizations # then we simply put our
whole Organization and its prestige and significance under that fire,"
he warned.
The remarks seemed primarily addressed to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and
Tajikistan. The three Muslim nations have traditionally warm ties with
Azerbaijan.
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan signed up in 2013 to a declaration of Turkic
states that called for a Karabakh settlement "within Azerbaijan's
internationally recognized borders." They well as Tajikistan had
previously backed even more pro-Azerbaijani statements adopted by the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Armenian leaders have repeatedly criticized those moves. As recently
as in September, Colonel-General Yuri Khachaturov, the chief of the
Armenian army's General Staff, voiced Yerevan's discontent with its
allies following an upsurge in fighting along the Armenian-Azerbaijani
border and "the line of contact" around Karabakh. A few days later,
Nikolay Bordyuzha, the CSTO's Russian secretary general, condemned
Azerbaijan for shelling Armenian villages.
In his speech at the Moscow summit publicized by his office, Sarkisian
said that Baku has since raised fighting in the conflict zone to "a
new and very dangerous level." "One should not exclude that Azerbaijan
has done that with external assistance and encouragement," he said,
seemingly hinting at Turkey.
It was not clear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin and other
CSTO leaders responded to the criticism during the summit. Sarkisian,
whose country currently holds the CSTO's rotating presidency, did not
mention the issue when he made a statement to the press after the
meeting.4 REASONS WHY AZERBAIJAN WON'T START WAR:KARABAKH OFFICIALDecember 21, 2015
A large-scale war is unlikely to break out between Armenia andAzerbaijan, David Babayan, spokesman for the President
of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic said, according to Tert.am.
On the other hand, he noted, it does not mean that Azerbaijan will
stop its policy of provocations.
"A large-scale war won't start for a number of reasons. To see into
the motives behind Azerbaijan's steps, we must better understand the
state's way of thinking, life style, values and domestic situation,"
Babayan said.
One of the primary reasons for Azerbaijan no to unleash large-scale
hostilities is politico-military balance between the conflicting
parties. That is, Azerbaijan is unable to war against Armenia and
Karabakh and win, the spokesperson noted.
The second reason is that "the superpowers, which currently serve as
mediating countries, do not want war."
"Starting a war is a most serious geopolitical act; unleashing the
1990s war was much easier because of a geopolitical vacuum in the
Transcaucasia. The USSR collapse left a vacuum, with no global power
being able to prevent the war. But the situation is different now
because of global actors' interests in Azerbaijan, among them being
the West, Russia and Iran."
By starting a war Azerbaijan will isolate itself from the world,
Babayan stated.
"That prevents Ilham Aliyev from taking practical steps, which
would prove disastrous for Azerbaijan and the Aliyev clan, given the
processes inside the country," Babayan said.
One more reason why Azerbaijan will not start a war is the ruling
clan's weakening positions in Azerbaijan and, as a consequence,
persecution of not only opposition members, but also government bodies
- arrests and resignations in Azerbaijan's foreign office and police.
Also, Babayan welcomed the very fact of the meeting between Presidents
Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev after a year's break, "as they help
maintain stability in the region."
The official is sure, however, that Azerbaijan will continue
"Turkey-backed" attacks on the border. This echoes the Azerbaijani
Defense Minister's statements in Turkey claiming to not be "afraid
of anything as long as our big brother backs us."
Agence France Presse
December 18, 2015
Russian soldier on trial for killing Armenia family
A Russian soldier accused of killing seven members of an Armenian
family including children after fleeing his military base went on
trial for murder in Armenia on Friday.
Conscripted soldier Valery Permyakov is accused of murdering a man and
a woman, their grown son and daughter, the daughter-in-law and two
grandchildren in their home in Gyumri, some 55 miles (90 kilometres)
from the capital Yerevan.
Six of the victims, including the couple's two-year-old granddaughter,
were shot dead, while their six-month-old grandson was stabbed to
death in a rampage in January that sparked protests by locals
demanding justice.
Broadcast live by Armenian TV stations, the trial began in tight
security at a Russian military base in Gyumri presided over by an
Armenian judge.
"Why is the trial being held at the Russian base? Are we the Russians'
captives?!" shouted Rita Petrosyan, a relative of the slain Avetisyan
family family who was inside the the packed courtroom.
Other relatives yelled "Shame!" and "May God damn you!" as the
19-year-old soldier sat on the bench with his head down.
Addressing the court, a lawyer for relatives said Permyakov was a
member of a "Satanist group" who had pledged on social networks he
would to "kill several men and several women as part of his pact with
the devil."
Permyakov was arrested after trying to flee to Turkey. His boots and
Kalashnikov rifle were found at the murder scene.
Since then, he has been held at the Gyumri base, with Armenia's
general prosecutor saying he could not be handed over because he was a
Russian citizen being held in Russian jurisdiction.
But the decision sparked outrage and a wave of rare anti-Moscow
protests in the landlocked Caucasus nation, which has a population of
2.9 million, with thousands rallying in Gyumri and Yerevan to demand
he put on trial over the killings.
In a bid to calm the situation, Russia agreed to try him on charges of
desertion while also allowing him to be tried for murder by an
Armenian judge -- but with the trial held at the base.
During his desertion trial in August, Russian military tribunal
sentenced him to 10 years in jail for deserting his base in the
ex-Soviet state which is a close ally of Russia.
Hurriyet Daily news, Turkey
Dec 18 2015
Christian refugees face difficulties, hide religion in Turkey
Rifat BaÅ?aran
Some 45,000 Christians who fled Syria and Iraq are forced to hide
their religious identity in the Turkish provinces of Yozgat, Aksaray
and Çorum.
Around 45,000 Armenians, Syriacs and Chaldean Christians who fled to
Turkey have applied to the United Nations to be able to go on to the
U.S., Canada or Austria and have been granted residency in Turkey
until 2023. Most now live in small Anatolian cities including Yozgat,
Aksaray, Çorum, Amasya, KırÅ?ehir, Erzurum, and Afyonkarahisar.
The Syriac and Armenian Patriarchates, the Istanbul Syriac Orthodox
Church and a number of NGOs are supporting many of these refugees
financially, but their problems go far beyond financial struggles.
For the Armenians, the situation has a historic angle, as many are
returning to lands that their ancestors were forced to leave 100 years
ago.
Anonis Alis Salciyan, an Armenian who fled Iraq one year ago with her
family and then settled in the Central Anatolian city of Yozgat, told
Hürriyet that they pretended to be Muslim in public. A picture of the
Virgin Mary hung on the wall next to a plastic Christmas tree in the
room where the Salciyan family lives.
Anonis' ancestors were driven from Anatolia by the Ottoman authorities
and local Muslims a century ago. One hundred years later, they have
once again been forced to leave their country.
`My family was originally from [the southeastern Turkish province of]
Van. My husband's family came from [the southeastern province of]
Gaziantep. My husband and I fled [Iraq] with our two children one year
ago with around 20 other families. There was pressure on us in Iraq,'
Anonis' said, recalling that her husband, who ran a jewelry shop in
Iraq, is unemployed in Yozgat.
`We have relatives in Europe. We are only getting by thanks to their
support,' she added.
Salciyan also said her children were struggling in their new life in
Turkey because they cannot speak the language.
`Our children cannot go to school here because they cannot speak
Turkish. They can only communicate with the children of other Armenian
families who have moved here,' she said.
Girl who hasn't spoken since ISIL raided home in Baghdad
Linda and Vahan Markaryan also decided to flee to Turkey with their
two children when their home in Baghdad was raided by militants of the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
`When ISIL militants raided our house in Baghdad last year, my
daughter NuÅ?ik was seven. She stopped talking on that day and has
never spoken again since then. We are now living in Yozgat. We are
working hard to provide her treatment, but she still won't speak,'
said Linda.
`We do not have a future here. Everything in our lives is uncertain.
Our only wish is to provide a better future for our children in a
place where they are safe and secure,' she added.
She also said it was hard for them to practice their religion because
of public pressure.
`We are pious people, but we have to conduct our sermons and prayers
at home. This is hard,' she said.
Her husband, who was an electricity technician in Baghdad, said he
struggled to work in Yozgat.
`We are only working in temporary jobs in places like construction
sites. The others workers [Turkish citizens] are paid around 100
Turkish Liras a day but we are only paid 25 liras a day for the same
work. We cannot demand our rights,' he said.
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Selina DoÄ?an,
who is also of Armenian origin, has visited Armenian families in
Yozgat during preparation of a report for the CHP's Research
Commission on Migrants and Refugees.
APA, Azerbaijan
Dec 17 2015
Baku hosts press conference `Lavash, common heritage of Turks'
Baku. Javid Zeynalli ` APA. A press conference on the subject `Lavash,
common heritage of Turks' was held in Baku on Dec.17.
The press conference took place as part of the project `Day of
Lavash', organized jointly by the ministries of culture and tourism of
Azerbaijan and Turkey, and Yunus Emre Institute in Baku.
Ibrahim Yildirim, the representative of Yunus Emre Institute in Baku,
said lavash will be promoted in buses in Baku within the one-month
project.
Tahir Amiraslanov, director of the Azerbaijani National Culinary
Center, said the project aims to draw public attention to the fact
that Armenia is trying to appropriate lavash, the oldest sample of our
national cuisine.
It was mentioned that though on November 26, lavash was presented by
Armenia in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage to
UNESCO as `Tradition of baking Armenian bread-lavash', the Armenian
provocation was prevented as a result of Azerbaijan's objection and
activities carried out in this regard. Thus, the name of the file was
changed in accordance with the requirements of the UNESCO Convention
revealing that lavash doesn't belong to the Armenian nation, it only
exists in Armenia too.
The Oxford Times, UK
December 17, 2015 Thursday
Bodleian exhibition showcases sacred treasure of the richArmenian culture
by Sarah Mayhew Craddock
Uncovering a rich cultural heritage that spans more than
two-and-a-half millennia, an exhibition of rare Armenian masterpieces
on display in at the Bodleian Library offers a glimpse into the early
days of Christianity.
It celebrates more than 2,500 years of history and culture of the
mountainous Caucasian nation, in a sumptuous display of over 100
manuscripts, books, sacred objects and everyday artefacts from the
Armenian community presented alongside treasures from the Bodleian's
magnificent collections.
"Armenian culture has shaped humanity and given it great gifts, from
precious manuscripts, literature and art to religious and secular
music," said Theo Maarten van Lint. "In this exhibition, we present to
the public the historical, artistic and other cultural achievements of
a people not often in the focus of the public eye, in an effort to
educate, fascinate and create a dialogue between nations and peoples."
The objects selected for display have been gathered from private and
national collections in Armenia, the Netherlands and the UK and
demonstrate the enormous achievements of a nation with a fascinating
and often turbulent history. It was initially conceived by exhibition
curator, Theo Maarten van Lint, the Calouste Gulbenkian Professor of
Armenian Studies at Oxford, in 2002.
Classicist Robin Meyer was invited to co-curate the exhibition
alongside Maarten van Lint, who says: "The University of Oxford has
been engaged with Armenia and its culture for more than 400 years,
ever since Archbishop Laud, the then Chancellor of the University
donated Armenian manuscripts to the Bodleian Library."
Making a conscious effort to highlight Armenian endurance through
times of suffering and hardship, notably the genocide perpetrated
against the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during World War
I (it is estimated that between 800,000 and 1.5 million people were
killed, starting with 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders
in Constantinople on 24 April 1915) and reflecting upon the reputation
that Armenians have gained for smiling in the face of adversity,
Maarten van Lint explained the importance of the show's timing.
"2015 marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment in the
University of Oxford of the Calouste Gulbenkian Professorship of
Armenian Studies," he said .
"Survivors spread worldwide, and came also to Britain. So 2015 is in
more than one way a milestone, and the combination of commemoration
with celebration is very apt in an Armenian context: embracing life
and creating a meaningful, joyous future, despite the sorrows
inflicted upon them is very much the Armenians' attitude, one that the
organisers of the exhibition wholeheartedly subscribe to."
Highlights of the exhibition include a venerated holy book containing
mystical prayer poems with healing powers on loan from a UK-based
Armenian family who have passed down their copy through generations, a
brightly coloured gospel manuscript featuring a 'hidden demon' that
has been rubbed out over the centuries by pious readers, and a
collection of 20 ancient coins telling the story of Armenia's
political and economic history.
But, as always. it is the human stories behind the objects which make
this essential exhibition a delight.
Where and when
Armenia: Masterpieces from an Enduring Culture exhibition is at the
Bodleian Library, Oxford.
For more information visit bodleian.ox.ac.uk/Armenia
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