Armenian News... A Topalian... Erdogan Admits that Turkey is the ‘Continuation’ of the Ottoman Empire Harut Sassounian
The current sad condition of the
Diyarbekir Sourp Giragos Church
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh7JVkfIr0Y
The Armenian Weekly
Feb 20 2018
For many decades, Turkish officials have outright denied the occurrence of the Armenian Genocide. In recent years, however, some Turks have made the excuse that today’s Turkish Republic is not responsible for the genocide, since it was committed by the Ottoman Empire—a defunct state.
With this pretext, the issue is no longer whether genocide was committed or not, but who is responsible for it. Those who use this justification, claim that the Republic of Turkey is neither the successor nor the continuation of the Ottoman Empire, but a new and separate state.
This argument has gradually grown weaker as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan began speaking and acting as an Ottoman Sultan.
Two weeks ago, the Turkish leader made matters worse for his country when he, according to the Times of London , asserted that “modern Turkey is a ‘continuation’ of the Ottoman Empire—a direct contradiction of [Mustafa Kemal] Ataturk’s ideology, which cast the Imperial era as backwards, stale, and to be discarded and forgotten rather than celebrated.”
By stating that Turkey is a “continuation” of the Ottoman Empire, Erdogan effectively concedes that today’s Turkey is responsible for the actions of the Ottoman Empire. In other words, the Republic of Turkey, which inherited the Ottoman Empire’s assets, also inherited its liabilities.
To confirm his allegiance to the Ottoman dynasty, Erdogan attended a ceremony earlier this month to mark the centenary of the death of Sultan Abdulhamid II, the “Red Sultan,” who has been rehabilitated by the current government. Erdogan conveniently ignored the fact that the Red Sultan had ordered the killing of 300,000 Armenians from 1894 to 1896—also known as the Hamidian massacres.
“The descendants of one of the last Ottoman sultans are to be given Turkish citizenship, ending almost a century of outcast and ostracism,” notes the Times’ article, which continues:
“Abdulhamid II ruled from 1876 to 1909, and was much maligned in Kemal Ataturk’s modern Turkish republic for his authoritarianism, anti-Westernism and clampdowns on the media. Yet, in the era of President Erdogan he has been rehabilitated. A television series, ‘Payitaht’, which depicts the life of Abdulhamid in glowing terms has been lauded by Mr. Erdogan as essential viewing for Turkish youths to find out about their country’s history… ‘We see Sultan Abdulhamid II as one of the most important, most visionary, most strategic-minded personalities who have put their stamps on the last 150 years of our state,’ Mr. Erdogan said. ‘We should stop seeing the Ottomans and the Republic as two eras that conflict with one another.’ Abdulhamid died in 1918 and at celebrations for the centenary this week, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that he would personally oversee the granting of citizenships to the family.”
Arrogantly, Erdogan then warned that U.S. soldiers in Northern Syria would soon receive the “Ottoman slap,” according to Reuters. He was “referring to a half-legendary Turkish martial move that involves a potent open-palm hit, resulting in a one-hit knockout or even skull fractures and death.” An illustration published by a pro-Erdogan Turkish media outlet shows President Donald Trump receiving an “Ottoman slap” by President Erdogan. Furthermore, Reuters quoted Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu stating that Washington was backing the YPG [Kurdish forces in Syria] because it shared the same “Marxist, communist, atheist” ideology.
Professor Alfred de Zayas, an international law expert, explained in an essay titled, “The Genocide against the Armenians 1915-1923 and the relevance of the 1948 Genocide Convention,” that a successor state is responsible for the crimes committed by its predecessor regime. Moreover, a state that is a continuation of a previous entity is even more responsible because there is no difference between the two, as admitted by Erdogan two weeks ago.
In addition, in his study Alfred de Zayas quoted Professor M. Cherif Bassiouni: “In international law, the doctrine of legal continuity and principles of State responsibility make a ‘successor Government’ liable in respect of claims arising from a former government’s violations.” De Zayas concluded that “the claims of the Armenians for their wrongfully confiscated properties did not disappear with the change from the Sultanate to the regime of Mustafa Kemal.”
Finally, Professor de Zayas affirmed that “the principle of responsibility of successor States has been held to apply even when the State and government that committed the wrongs were not that of the ‘successor State.’ This principle was formulated, inter alia, by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Lighthouse Arbitration case.”
President Erdogan, by affirming that today’s Republic of Turkey is the continuation of the Ottoman Empire, has inadvertently admitted that Turkey is responsible for the genocidal, territorial, and economic damages caused by the Ottoman Empire to the Armenian people. Erdogan’s confession should be presented as evidence when demands emanating from the Turkish Genocide of Armenians are submitted to the World Court.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh7JVkfIr0Y
The Armenian Weekly
Feb 20 2018
For many decades, Turkish officials have outright denied the occurrence of the Armenian Genocide. In recent years, however, some Turks have made the excuse that today’s Turkish Republic is not responsible for the genocide, since it was committed by the Ottoman Empire—a defunct state.
With this pretext, the issue is no longer whether genocide was committed or not, but who is responsible for it. Those who use this justification, claim that the Republic of Turkey is neither the successor nor the continuation of the Ottoman Empire, but a new and separate state.
This argument has gradually grown weaker as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan began speaking and acting as an Ottoman Sultan.
Two weeks ago, the Turkish leader made matters worse for his country when he, according to the Times of London , asserted that “modern Turkey is a ‘continuation’ of the Ottoman Empire—a direct contradiction of [Mustafa Kemal] Ataturk’s ideology, which cast the Imperial era as backwards, stale, and to be discarded and forgotten rather than celebrated.”
By stating that Turkey is a “continuation” of the Ottoman Empire, Erdogan effectively concedes that today’s Turkey is responsible for the actions of the Ottoman Empire. In other words, the Republic of Turkey, which inherited the Ottoman Empire’s assets, also inherited its liabilities.
To confirm his allegiance to the Ottoman dynasty, Erdogan attended a ceremony earlier this month to mark the centenary of the death of Sultan Abdulhamid II, the “Red Sultan,” who has been rehabilitated by the current government. Erdogan conveniently ignored the fact that the Red Sultan had ordered the killing of 300,000 Armenians from 1894 to 1896—also known as the Hamidian massacres.
“The descendants of one of the last Ottoman sultans are to be given Turkish citizenship, ending almost a century of outcast and ostracism,” notes the Times’ article, which continues:
“Abdulhamid II ruled from 1876 to 1909, and was much maligned in Kemal Ataturk’s modern Turkish republic for his authoritarianism, anti-Westernism and clampdowns on the media. Yet, in the era of President Erdogan he has been rehabilitated. A television series, ‘Payitaht’, which depicts the life of Abdulhamid in glowing terms has been lauded by Mr. Erdogan as essential viewing for Turkish youths to find out about their country’s history… ‘We see Sultan Abdulhamid II as one of the most important, most visionary, most strategic-minded personalities who have put their stamps on the last 150 years of our state,’ Mr. Erdogan said. ‘We should stop seeing the Ottomans and the Republic as two eras that conflict with one another.’ Abdulhamid died in 1918 and at celebrations for the centenary this week, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that he would personally oversee the granting of citizenships to the family.”
Arrogantly, Erdogan then warned that U.S. soldiers in Northern Syria would soon receive the “Ottoman slap,” according to Reuters. He was “referring to a half-legendary Turkish martial move that involves a potent open-palm hit, resulting in a one-hit knockout or even skull fractures and death.” An illustration published by a pro-Erdogan Turkish media outlet shows President Donald Trump receiving an “Ottoman slap” by President Erdogan. Furthermore, Reuters quoted Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu stating that Washington was backing the YPG [Kurdish forces in Syria] because it shared the same “Marxist, communist, atheist” ideology.
Professor Alfred de Zayas, an international law expert, explained in an essay titled, “The Genocide against the Armenians 1915-1923 and the relevance of the 1948 Genocide Convention,” that a successor state is responsible for the crimes committed by its predecessor regime. Moreover, a state that is a continuation of a previous entity is even more responsible because there is no difference between the two, as admitted by Erdogan two weeks ago.
In addition, in his study Alfred de Zayas quoted Professor M. Cherif Bassiouni: “In international law, the doctrine of legal continuity and principles of State responsibility make a ‘successor Government’ liable in respect of claims arising from a former government’s violations.” De Zayas concluded that “the claims of the Armenians for their wrongfully confiscated properties did not disappear with the change from the Sultanate to the regime of Mustafa Kemal.”
Finally, Professor de Zayas affirmed that “the principle of responsibility of successor States has been held to apply even when the State and government that committed the wrongs were not that of the ‘successor State.’ This principle was formulated, inter alia, by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Lighthouse Arbitration case.”
President Erdogan, by affirming that today’s Republic of Turkey is the continuation of the Ottoman Empire, has inadvertently admitted that Turkey is responsible for the genocidal, territorial, and economic damages caused by the Ottoman Empire to the Armenian people. Erdogan’s confession should be presented as evidence when demands emanating from the Turkish Genocide of Armenians are submitted to the World Court.
February 21, 2018
TURKEY PULSE
Turkish genealogy database fascinates, frightens Turks
Fehim Tastekin
ARTICLE SUMMARY
The government has made Turkey’s population registers public for the first time, identifying ethnic Armenians and other minorities, and excited Turks immediately crashed the system.
During the days when Turkey still hoped to join the European Union, its people were becoming willing to question their ethnic and religious ancestry. Since then, the country has reverted to a time when people were disgraced and denigrated, with the government’s blessings, as “crypto-Armenians."
Hrant Dink was the editor of the Armenian-language newspaper Agos in 2004 when he wrote that Sabiha Gokcen , the first female military pilot of the Turkish Republic, was of Armenian parentage. Because of this and other articles he penned, Dink found himself the subject of investigation by the Justice Ministry. He was assassinated in 2007 for reasons thought to be related to his strong support for Armenian causes.
Dink's story illustrates why population registers in Turkey were kept secret until recently. The topic has always been a sensitive issue for the state. The confidentiality of data that identifies people's lineage was considered a national security issue.
There were two main reasons for all this secrecy: to conceal that scores of Armenians, Syriacs, Greeks and Jews had converted to Islam, and to avoid any debate about "Turkishness.” Its definition, “anyone who is attached to the Turkish state as a citizen," was enshrined in the constitution as part of the philosophy of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founding father of the Turkish Republic and its first president.
For a long time, the official policy was that Turks formed a cohesive ethnic identity in Turkey. But less than two weeks ago, on Feb. 8, population registers were officially opened to the public via an online genealogy database . The system crashed quickly under the demand. Some people who had always boasted of their "pure" Turkish ancestry were shocked to learn they actually had other ethnic and religious roots.
On the darker side, comments such as “ Crypto-Armenians, Greek and Jews in the country will now be exposed” and “Traitors will finally learn their lineage” became commonplace on social media.
Genealogy has always been a popular topic of conversation in Turkish society, but also a tool of social and political division. Families often acknowledged in private that their lineage was Armenian or that a long-dead relative was a convert to Islam, but those conversations were kept secret. Being a convert in Turkey carried a stigma that could not be erased.
Ethnic Armenian columnist Hayko Bagdat told Al-Monitor, “During the 1915 genocide, along with mass conversions, there were also thousands of children in exile. Those who could reach foreign missionaries were spirited abroad. Some were grabbed by roaming gangs during their escape and made into sex slaves and laborers. The society is not yet ready to deal with this reality. Imagine that a man who had served as the director of religious affairs of this country [ Lutfi Dogan ] was the brother of someone who was the Armenian patriarch [Sinozk Kalustyan].”
He went on, “Kalustyan, who returned to Turkey from Beirut in 1961, was remembered as a saint in the Turkish Armenian Patriarchate and as someone who had served in the most difficult times after 1915. During the genocide, his mother sent the children away and converted to Islam. Later she married [a man called] Dogan, who was of high social standing, and had two girls and a boy. The boy was Lutfi Dogan. When the mother, who was then with the Nationalist Action Party branch in Malatya province, died, his uncle came in priest garb from Beirut to attend the funeral. Nobody could say anything.”
The mindset of society was starkly clear when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once complained, “We are accused of being Jews, Armenians or Greeks .”
There were those who feared that data obtained from population registers could be used to stigmatize the famous and used for political lynching campaigns. After the database went down, they spoke out against its restoration. One of them was Tayfun Atay, a columnist for Turkey’s daily Cumhuriyet.
“I was advised in a friendly manner not to admit that I am a Georgian. That was the lightest form of pressure. What about those who risk learning they are of Armenian ancestry or a convert? Just think: You think you are a red-blooded Turk but turn out to be a pure-blood Armenian. Imagine the societal repercussions ,” he wrote Feb. 12.
As the debate raged, the system suddenly came back online Feb. 14.
Many Turks are questioning the timing of making this information available.
“If they had done this a few years ago when we were [becoming more tolerant], conspiracy theories would not have been as strong as today, when the state behaves as though we are in a struggle for existence. This is how Turkey reinvigorates the spirit of the Independence War” to inspire patriotism and pro-government thinking, journalist Serdar Korucu told Al-Monitor.
Those who oppose the system fear that a society already in a morass of racism will sink into it even further. Others, however, say that though reality might be shocking, couldn’t it be useful in eradicating racism?
“Yes, definitely. Everyone in Turkey is curious about their ancestry. That is a fact,” Korucu responded. “Why is facing reality so hard?" He said of the Sabiha Gokcen story, "That turned the country upside down."
Korucu believes data confidentiality is essential to prevent population registers from being misused as instruments of political defamation, but warned, “The state organs already know everything about us."
In 2013, Agos reported that the government was secretly coding minorities in population registers: Greeks were 1, Armenians were 2 and Jews were 3. The covert classification of religious minorities was met with wide outrage.
"What's worse is these facts emerge when it is time for a young man for report to military conscription. In short, there are those who know us better than we do. So why not tell us about it?” Korucu asked.
“Population registers are dangerous. That is why Hrant Dink was murdered," the columnist Bagdat noted. "The director of the Genocide Museum in Yerevan told a delegation from Turkey [about] the three most-discussed issues by those who were able to escape. Armenians first tell us about the Muslims who helped them escape the genocide, then the Armenians who betrayed them and only then do they narrate their catastrophe. If we make public the names of Armenians who were forced to convert to Islam, their grandchildren will be in danger today.”
He added, “This is how the situation is after 100 years: The Turkish state asked us to accept being Turks. Fine, let me say I am a Turk. Will I be given a public job? No. When I say, ‘No, I am an Armenian,’ I am treated as a terrorist. Nothing has changed. Opening of the population registers means nothing to me. How can we forget Yusuf Halacoglu , the director of the Historical Society of Turkey in 2007, who had bluntly threatened, ‘Don’t make me angry. I have a list of converts I can reveal down to their streets and homes.’ These words, by this man who later became a politician in the Nationalist Action Party, were a threat to Turkish politics.”
Is the information in the now publicly accessible registers complete?
Another ethnic Armenian, journalist Yervant Ozuzun, has doubts. ”We don’t know if anything changed. We know ethnic origins were marked with different codes in the register. We as Armenians were code No. 2. Has this changed? I don’t think so."
TURKEY PULSE
Turkish genealogy database fascinates, frightens Turks
Fehim Tastekin
ARTICLE SUMMARY
The government has made Turkey’s population registers public for the first time, identifying ethnic Armenians and other minorities, and excited Turks immediately crashed the system.
During the days when Turkey still hoped to join the European Union, its people were becoming willing to question their ethnic and religious ancestry. Since then, the country has reverted to a time when people were disgraced and denigrated, with the government’s blessings, as “crypto-Armenians."
Hrant Dink was the editor of the Armenian-language newspaper Agos in 2004 when he wrote that Sabiha Gokcen , the first female military pilot of the Turkish Republic, was of Armenian parentage. Because of this and other articles he penned, Dink found himself the subject of investigation by the Justice Ministry. He was assassinated in 2007 for reasons thought to be related to his strong support for Armenian causes.
Dink's story illustrates why population registers in Turkey were kept secret until recently. The topic has always been a sensitive issue for the state. The confidentiality of data that identifies people's lineage was considered a national security issue.
There were two main reasons for all this secrecy: to conceal that scores of Armenians, Syriacs, Greeks and Jews had converted to Islam, and to avoid any debate about "Turkishness.” Its definition, “anyone who is attached to the Turkish state as a citizen," was enshrined in the constitution as part of the philosophy of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founding father of the Turkish Republic and its first president.
For a long time, the official policy was that Turks formed a cohesive ethnic identity in Turkey. But less than two weeks ago, on Feb. 8, population registers were officially opened to the public via an online genealogy database . The system crashed quickly under the demand. Some people who had always boasted of their "pure" Turkish ancestry were shocked to learn they actually had other ethnic and religious roots.
On the darker side, comments such as “ Crypto-Armenians, Greek and Jews in the country will now be exposed” and “Traitors will finally learn their lineage” became commonplace on social media.
Genealogy has always been a popular topic of conversation in Turkish society, but also a tool of social and political division. Families often acknowledged in private that their lineage was Armenian or that a long-dead relative was a convert to Islam, but those conversations were kept secret. Being a convert in Turkey carried a stigma that could not be erased.
Ethnic Armenian columnist Hayko Bagdat told Al-Monitor, “During the 1915 genocide, along with mass conversions, there were also thousands of children in exile. Those who could reach foreign missionaries were spirited abroad. Some were grabbed by roaming gangs during their escape and made into sex slaves and laborers. The society is not yet ready to deal with this reality. Imagine that a man who had served as the director of religious affairs of this country [ Lutfi Dogan ] was the brother of someone who was the Armenian patriarch [Sinozk Kalustyan].”
He went on, “Kalustyan, who returned to Turkey from Beirut in 1961, was remembered as a saint in the Turkish Armenian Patriarchate and as someone who had served in the most difficult times after 1915. During the genocide, his mother sent the children away and converted to Islam. Later she married [a man called] Dogan, who was of high social standing, and had two girls and a boy. The boy was Lutfi Dogan. When the mother, who was then with the Nationalist Action Party branch in Malatya province, died, his uncle came in priest garb from Beirut to attend the funeral. Nobody could say anything.”
The mindset of society was starkly clear when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once complained, “We are accused of being Jews, Armenians or Greeks .”
There were those who feared that data obtained from population registers could be used to stigmatize the famous and used for political lynching campaigns. After the database went down, they spoke out against its restoration. One of them was Tayfun Atay, a columnist for Turkey’s daily Cumhuriyet.
“I was advised in a friendly manner not to admit that I am a Georgian. That was the lightest form of pressure. What about those who risk learning they are of Armenian ancestry or a convert? Just think: You think you are a red-blooded Turk but turn out to be a pure-blood Armenian. Imagine the societal repercussions ,” he wrote Feb. 12.
As the debate raged, the system suddenly came back online Feb. 14.
Many Turks are questioning the timing of making this information available.
“If they had done this a few years ago when we were [becoming more tolerant], conspiracy theories would not have been as strong as today, when the state behaves as though we are in a struggle for existence. This is how Turkey reinvigorates the spirit of the Independence War” to inspire patriotism and pro-government thinking, journalist Serdar Korucu told Al-Monitor.
Those who oppose the system fear that a society already in a morass of racism will sink into it even further. Others, however, say that though reality might be shocking, couldn’t it be useful in eradicating racism?
“Yes, definitely. Everyone in Turkey is curious about their ancestry. That is a fact,” Korucu responded. “Why is facing reality so hard?" He said of the Sabiha Gokcen story, "That turned the country upside down."
Korucu believes data confidentiality is essential to prevent population registers from being misused as instruments of political defamation, but warned, “The state organs already know everything about us."
In 2013, Agos reported that the government was secretly coding minorities in population registers: Greeks were 1, Armenians were 2 and Jews were 3. The covert classification of religious minorities was met with wide outrage.
"What's worse is these facts emerge when it is time for a young man for report to military conscription. In short, there are those who know us better than we do. So why not tell us about it?” Korucu asked.
“Population registers are dangerous. That is why Hrant Dink was murdered," the columnist Bagdat noted. "The director of the Genocide Museum in Yerevan told a delegation from Turkey [about] the three most-discussed issues by those who were able to escape. Armenians first tell us about the Muslims who helped them escape the genocide, then the Armenians who betrayed them and only then do they narrate their catastrophe. If we make public the names of Armenians who were forced to convert to Islam, their grandchildren will be in danger today.”
He added, “This is how the situation is after 100 years: The Turkish state asked us to accept being Turks. Fine, let me say I am a Turk. Will I be given a public job? No. When I say, ‘No, I am an Armenian,’ I am treated as a terrorist. Nothing has changed. Opening of the population registers means nothing to me. How can we forget Yusuf Halacoglu , the director of the Historical Society of Turkey in 2007, who had bluntly threatened, ‘Don’t make me angry. I have a list of converts I can reveal down to their streets and homes.’ These words, by this man who later became a politician in the Nationalist Action Party, were a threat to Turkish politics.”
Is the information in the now publicly accessible registers complete?
Another ethnic Armenian, journalist Yervant Ozuzun, has doubts. ”We don’t know if anything changed. We know ethnic origins were marked with different codes in the register. We as Armenians were code No. 2. Has this changed? I don’t think so."
Government officials aren't saying one way or the other.
Fehim Tastekin is a Turkish journalist and a columnist for Turkey Pulse who previously wrote for Radikal and Hurriyet. He has also been the host of the weekly program "SINIRSIZ," on IMC TV. As an analyst, Tastekin specializes in Turkish foreign policy and Caucasus, Middle East and EU affairs. He is the author of “ Suriye: Yikil Git, Diren Kal ,” “ Rojava: Kurtlerin Zamani ” and “ Karanlık Coktugunde - ISID .” Tastekin is founding editor of the Agency Caucasus. On Twitter: @fehimtastekin
Asbarez.com
Nalbandian Reiterates Yerevan’s Decision to Nullify Protocols
20.02.18
BRUSSELS—Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian on Wednesday reiterated Yerevan’s decision to declare the dangerous Armenia-Turkey Protocols null and void, a pledge made by President Serzh Sarkisian at the United Nations last fall.
Speaking to the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Nalbandian said that the “normalization process with Turkey could have created new opportunities for both of our nations and the region at large.”
“Armenia spared no effort to see it succeed.” “Turkey has missed historic chance of reconciliation. Armenia does not resort to the language of preconditions, but equally, we shall never accept preconditions put forth by anyone,” said Nalbandian.
In his remarks, which also included a detailed assessment of the the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, Nalbandian delineated Armenia’s vision to advance relations with the European Union.
Armenia’s top diplomat, however, lamented Ankara’s continued policy to fuel conflict in the region.
“Almost 30 years have passed since the fall of the Berlin wall yet Turkey continues to keep its borders with Armenia closed,” said Nalbandian.
He added that not only Ankara has refrained from keeping its end of the bargain with the protocols it has “returned to the language of preconditions that it had used before the beginning of the process. Turkey has attempted to link the Armenian-Turkish normalization process to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on ungrounded claims of the Azerbaijani side. Any Turkish attempts to interfere in the Karabakh process or to link the normalization of relations with the Nagorno-Karabakh talks, harms both processes. This is a position that the whole international community have emphasized several times.”
“From the beginning of the process we made it clear in our contacts with the Turkish side as well as publicly that Armenia will never put under question the fact of the Armenian Genocide or the importance of its international recognition. True reconciliation does not consist of forgetting the past or feeding young generations with tales of denial. Armenia did not require the recognition of Genocide by Turkey as a precondition for the normalization of the relations. Paradoxically it is Turkey, that for 100 years has continuously denied the Genocide, has attempted to manipulate that issue, using it as another precondition,” explained Nalbandian.
The foreign minister also addressed the issue of the Karabakh conflict resolution process, pointing out Azerbaijan’s continued use of threats and belligerent language toward Armenia.
“On February 8th the President of this country [Azerbaijan] declared that different regions of Armenia, including its capital Yerevan are historic lands of Azerbaijan, where Azerbaijanis must return and that it is Baku’s political and strategic goal. I will leave to your consideration if this is a territorial claim towards a neighboring country, saber-rattling, or something else. But, it is well known that Baku’s belligerence on use of force and threat of force have many times turned into real actions,” said Nalbandian.
Nalbandian said that Azerbaijan does not do its part in honoring agreements reached at various summits since the April 2016 War.
“The recent most illustrative case was the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Krakow in January, where it was agreed in principle to implement the expansion of the Office of the Personal Representative. Armenia and the Co-Chairs issued almost identical statements reflecting this agreement while Azerbaijan has not made any reference to it either after the meeting or up to now. When the Co-Chairs returned to the region a few days ago, Azerbaijan again failed to honor the implementation of the agreement on the expansion,” said Nalbandian.
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 20 2018
Society 15:11 20/02/2018 Armenia Situation in Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul to be discussed at Holy Etchmiadzin
The Supreme Spiritual Council meeting, chaired by Catholicos Karekin II, kicked off today at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, with the situation in the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul among the issues on the agenda.
The four-day meeting started with a prayer, followed by the Catholicos of All Armenians blessing the council members, the information center of Holy Etchmiadzin told Panorama.am.
The meeting agenda features a range of national and church issues. The meeting will particularly focus on issues related to the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, the effectiveness of the Armenian Church administration and the others.
DailySabah.com
Armenian, Greek community hail improved ties with Turkish state
ISTANBUL
Religious leaders of Greek and Armenian communities in Istanbul lauded a major shift in communities' relations with the state under the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party after decades of suppression. Greek Orthodox patriarch, acting head of Armenian patriarchate and representatives of other minorities joined Şeref Malkoç, Turkey's chief ombudsman, for a meeting on problems the communities faced.
"Unlike the past, we can easily contact with the representatives of the state, the government and convey them our problems. This was not the case before, when the minorities were afraid of openly expressing their problems," Patriarch Bartholomew I of Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate said at the meeting in Istanbul. The patriarch is the spiritual leader of a number of Orthodox churches both in Turkey and other countries and an influential figure among ethnic, religious minorities in Turkey. He went on to speak about "a joint problem" of communities, "that is, lack of an option to elect new board members for foundations -which run places of worships-. We cannot hold elections," he said.
Bartholomew also said they expected permission to reopen Halki seminary that once trained priests for the Greek population. Authorities are currently working on a set of regulations to allow independent elections at minority-run foundations. It will give broader freedom to communities that are mostly concentrated in Istanbul after decades of discriminatory policies and tight control by the state. The election issue is a matter overshadowing democratic rights for minorities. Although recognized minority groups are free to elect their own foundation members, they are still subject to inspection by the state and need the approval of authorities. During the late Ottoman period and in the early years of the Republic, foundations belonging to non-Muslim minorities were able to hold their own elections, but a set of changes in later years hindered the election process.
Aram Ateşyan, acting patriarch of Armenian Patriarchate, said his community was deprived of many rights, "until the AK Party came to power." "Mr. President and his party made us smile," he said, referring to mass return of properties confiscated in the past from Armenian, Greek and other minorities.
ARKA, Armenia
Feb 20 2018
Serzh Sargsyan: we celebrate 30th anniversary of Karabakh movement in atmosphere of threats
In an address to the nation on the Artsakh Revival Day and Karabakh Movement 30th anniversary, president Serzh Sargsyan said on February 20, 1988, the Nagorno-Karabakh Regional Council met in an extraordinary session to adopt a resolution expressing the Artsakh people’s will for free self-determination, Sargsyan’s press service reported. It quoted him as saying that three decades ago, Armenians all over the world joined the fair demand and struggle of Artsakh.
President Sargsyan said that today, Armenians are celebrating the 30th anniversary of that historic turning point, which the Artsakh Republic has rightfully proclaimed as the Artsakh Revival Day.
‘Moreover, it became the day of revival of the Armenian people. Monte was right to insist that if we were to lose Artsakh, we would have turned the last page of Armenia’s history. February 20, 1988 was the moment of unity, determination and national awakening of the Armenian people,’ he said.
Sargsyan recalled that Azerbaijan responded to Armenians’ peaceful and legitimate demarche by massacres in Sumgait and other places. In those days it became clear that people in Artsakh were doomed to physical extermination or victory.
‘We were forced to wage war. Those who unleashed the war were convinced that they had a great advantage, and the Karabakh issue would be resolved swiftly and permanently by exterminating the Armenians and depopulating Artsakh. From the distance of three decades we can confidently state that the Karabakh movement saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Strong with the backing of the whole Armenian nation, the Armenians of Artsakh managed to cope with that severe trial with honor. Today, those who are calling us enemy, accuse us in everything, but the only fault of the people of Artsakh is that they did not lose and were not exterminated in that war.’
‘Dear compatriots, the Karabakh movement was supposed to be transformed at a certain stage. With the proclamation of statehood, the movement did not shrink, but became a State policy. The pan-national outburst and awakening was crowned by the reinstatement of our two Armenian States.
We can hear the same threats as 30 years ago as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Karabakh movement. The anti-Armenian propaganda has continued for 30 years now. It seems that nothing has changed. But we did. The free Artsakh, which shook off the Azeri yoke 30 years ago, is developing at a progressive pace both economically, politically, or culturally.
In our public consciousness there may be a justified perception that what is done is not enough. Therefore, we must constantly mark up the bar of our requirements and expectations. As a nation and a State, we still have a lot to do. There is a great deal of work to be done in all fields, but what we have done together over the past 30 years, sometimes in most difficult circumstances, is actually quite enough. Obviously, this is probably the most important thirty-year in Armenia’s history of the past few centuries. We can do much more, and yet we will think it insufficient.
Subjugation does not have an excuse, while freedom has no alternative. We are building modern and democratic statehoods in the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh. We fully respect the fundamental human rights, since freedom and dignity are absolute values for the Armenian people.’
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict erupted into armed clashes after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s as the predominantly Armenian-populated enclave of Azerbaijan sought to secede from Azerbaijan and declared its independence backed by a successful referendum.
On May 12, 1994, the Bishkek cease-fire agreement put an end to the military operations. A truce was brokered by Russia in 1994, although no permanent peace agreement has been signed. Since then, Nagorno-Karabakh and several adjacent regions have been under the control of Armenian forces of Karabakh.
Nagorno-Karabakh is the longest-running post-Soviet era conflict and has continued to simmer despite the relative peace of the past two decades, with snipers causing tens of deaths a year. On April 2, 2016, Azerbaijan launched military assaults along the entire perimeter of its contact line with Nagorno-Karabakh. Four days later a cease-fire was reached. -0-
Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
February 19, 2018 Monday
TUMO takes 1st prize in World Congress on Information Technology
TUMO center for creative technologies has received the Chairman's award
for contributing to the mission of “Fulfilling the Promise of the Digital Age”
in the 2018 Global ICT Excellence Awards run by WITSA's World Congress
on Information Technology (WCIT)., reports ARMENPRESS.
“TUMO is proud to present Armenia’s IT sphere and education in such
major international platforms, and attracting the attention of leading
companies and specialists on our country and its youth. We hope this
victory will further foster the recognition and appreciation of
Armenian projects in international IT arena”, reads the press release
of the center.
The World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) is the largest and
the most reputable international event among worldwide IT leaders.
It brings together high-level officials from different countries,
heads of multinational organizations, universities and scientific
research centers, non-governmental organizations’ representatives and
many more.
The event includes discussions of legal, political and economic trends
affecting IT business processes, presentations of innovative
solutions, B2B meetings and so on.
The WCIT has been held since 1978.
Armenia has been approved as the hosting country for WCIT 2019 during
the meeting of the WITSA’s board of directors at WCIT 2014 Mexico.
RFE/RL Report
Armenia, Russia Hail Soaring Bilateral Trade
February 20, 2018
Prime Minister Karen Karapetian and a visiting Russian government
member praised on Tuesday a further sizable increase in
Russian-Armenian trade which reached a new high last year, according
to official statistics.
Armenian government data show bilateral trade rising by just over 26
percent to $1.7 billion in 2017 on the back of an almost 45 percent
surge in Armenian exports to Russia. The latter thus remained the
South Caucasus state's leading trading partner.
Karapetian cited these figures at the start of a regular session in
Yerevan of a Russian-Armenian intergovernmental commission on economic
cooperation. He chaired it together with Russian Transport Minister
Maxim Sokolov.
Sokolov also noted the record-high amount of Russian-Armenian trade
recorded in 2017. "We are happy that the volume of shipments of
Armenian products to the Russian is rapidly growing," he said in his
opening remarks publicized by Karapetian's press office.
Russian-Armenian trade plummeted in 2015 following a sharp
depreciation of the Russian ruble which hit Armenian exporters
hard. But with the Russian currency subsequently rallying against the
U.S. dollar and the euro, Armenian exports to Russia soared by 51.5
percent in 2016.
Sokolov said that Armenia's membership in the Russian-led Eurasian
Economic Union (EEU) is a key reason for the sharp gains recorded in
2016 and 2017. Tariff-free access to the markets in Russia and other
ex-Soviet states making up the trade bloc is also making Armenia more
attractive to foreign investors, he said.
Karapetian stressed in that regard that Armenia also enjoys
preferential trade regimes with the European Union and the United
States and that Russian investors should capitalize on that. He also
called for Russian investments in a free economic zone which was set
up on the Armenian-Iranian border in December.
"We are ready to create comfortable conditions for Russian capital in
Armenia," added the prime minister.
Karapetian visited Moscow as recently as on February 16-17. The
Armenian government said ahead of his visit said he will meet with
"Armenian and Russian business circles" to discuss with them "ongoing
and prospective projects." The government has issued no further
statements on the trip.
The Armenian premier has been strongly backed by Russia's wealthiest
ethnic Armenian businessman, Samvel Karapetian (no relation), ever
since he took office in September 2016. The billionaire tycoon has
pledged to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Armenia's energy
sector.
Incidentally, energy was on the agenda of Tuesday's meeting of the
Russian-Armenian commission.A government statement said the panel
discussed ways of "expanding cooperation" in this and other economic
sectors.
Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
February 19, 2018 Monday
Armenia celebrates Book Giving Day
Literature, book are our close friends and relatives. They open new
“TUMO is proud to present Armenia’s IT sphere and education in such
major international platforms, and attracting the attention of leading
companies and specialists on our country and its youth. We hope this
victory will further foster the recognition and appreciation of
Armenian projects in international IT arena”, reads the press release
of the center.
The World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) is the largest and
the most reputable international event among worldwide IT leaders.
It brings together high-level officials from different countries,
heads of multinational organizations, universities and scientific
research centers, non-governmental organizations’ representatives and
many more.
The event includes discussions of legal, political and economic trends
affecting IT business processes, presentations of innovative
solutions, B2B meetings and so on.
The WCIT has been held since 1978.
Armenia has been approved as the hosting country for WCIT 2019 during
the meeting of the WITSA’s board of directors at WCIT 2014 Mexico.
RFE/RL Report
Armenia, Russia Hail Soaring Bilateral Trade
February 20, 2018
Prime Minister Karen Karapetian and a visiting Russian government
member praised on Tuesday a further sizable increase in
Russian-Armenian trade which reached a new high last year, according
to official statistics.
Armenian government data show bilateral trade rising by just over 26
percent to $1.7 billion in 2017 on the back of an almost 45 percent
surge in Armenian exports to Russia. The latter thus remained the
South Caucasus state's leading trading partner.
Karapetian cited these figures at the start of a regular session in
Yerevan of a Russian-Armenian intergovernmental commission on economic
cooperation. He chaired it together with Russian Transport Minister
Maxim Sokolov.
Sokolov also noted the record-high amount of Russian-Armenian trade
recorded in 2017. "We are happy that the volume of shipments of
Armenian products to the Russian is rapidly growing," he said in his
opening remarks publicized by Karapetian's press office.
Russian-Armenian trade plummeted in 2015 following a sharp
depreciation of the Russian ruble which hit Armenian exporters
hard. But with the Russian currency subsequently rallying against the
U.S. dollar and the euro, Armenian exports to Russia soared by 51.5
percent in 2016.
Sokolov said that Armenia's membership in the Russian-led Eurasian
Economic Union (EEU) is a key reason for the sharp gains recorded in
2016 and 2017. Tariff-free access to the markets in Russia and other
ex-Soviet states making up the trade bloc is also making Armenia more
attractive to foreign investors, he said.
Karapetian stressed in that regard that Armenia also enjoys
preferential trade regimes with the European Union and the United
States and that Russian investors should capitalize on that. He also
called for Russian investments in a free economic zone which was set
up on the Armenian-Iranian border in December.
"We are ready to create comfortable conditions for Russian capital in
Armenia," added the prime minister.
Karapetian visited Moscow as recently as on February 16-17. The
Armenian government said ahead of his visit said he will meet with
"Armenian and Russian business circles" to discuss with them "ongoing
and prospective projects." The government has issued no further
statements on the trip.
The Armenian premier has been strongly backed by Russia's wealthiest
ethnic Armenian businessman, Samvel Karapetian (no relation), ever
since he took office in September 2016. The billionaire tycoon has
pledged to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Armenia's energy
sector.
Incidentally, energy was on the agenda of Tuesday's meeting of the
Russian-Armenian commission.A government statement said the panel
discussed ways of "expanding cooperation" in this and other economic
sectors.
Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
February 19, 2018 Monday
Armenia celebrates Book Giving Day
Literature, book are our close friends and relatives. They open new
horizons for us, enable us to recognize the world, complex human
relationships, teach us to love, dream and fight. February 19, the
birthday of renowned Armenian poet Hovhannes Tumanyan, is
celebrated in Armenia as the Book Giving Day aimed at increasing
the interest and love towards books.
The holiday was introduced in Armenia since 2008 thanks to the
initiative of late President of the Writers’ Union of Armenia Levon
Ananyan.
Culture minister Armen Amiryan told Armenpress that he hasn’t yet
decided what books he are going to give, but added that on that day he
will visit the National Children's Library named after Khnko Aper to
participate in the 14th traditional Yerevan Book fair for children. “I
will choose any book for children and on that day I will read a fairy
tale for kids”, the minister said.
According to him, this holiday is very important to once again draw
the attention of our public to the book, book publishing and to
attract towards the writers in general. “I think in this sense more is
needed to be done than the Book holiday and giving books to each
other. More large-scale events can be held in this regard”, he added.
Giving books to each other already becomes a very good tradition in Armenia.
According to the decision of the Armenian government, the culture
ministry and the Writers’ Union of Armenia every year distribute
books, which were published by the state assistance and were not sold,
between the libraries of provinces and communities, as well as those
of Artsakh and Javakheti.
RFE/RL Report Journalists Barred From Yerevan Council After
The holiday was introduced in Armenia since 2008 thanks to the
initiative of late President of the Writers’ Union of Armenia Levon
Ananyan.
Culture minister Armen Amiryan told Armenpress that he hasn’t yet
decided what books he are going to give, but added that on that day he
will visit the National Children's Library named after Khnko Aper to
participate in the 14th traditional Yerevan Book fair for children. “I
will choose any book for children and on that day I will read a fairy
tale for kids”, the minister said.
According to him, this holiday is very important to once again draw
the attention of our public to the book, book publishing and to
attract towards the writers in general. “I think in this sense more is
needed to be done than the Book holiday and giving books to each
other. More large-scale events can be held in this regard”, he added.
Giving books to each other already becomes a very good tradition in Armenia.
According to the decision of the Armenian government, the culture
ministry and the Writers’ Union of Armenia every year distribute
books, which were published by the state assistance and were not sold,
between the libraries of provinces and communities, as well as those
of Artsakh and Javakheti.
RFE/RL Report Journalists Barred From Yerevan Council After
Witnessing Violence
February 21, 2018
Anush Muradian
One week after an embarrassing brawl between pro-government and
opposition members of Yerevan's municipal council, Mayor Taron
Markarian has decided to ban reporters from attending its further
sessions.
Markarian's spokesman, Artur Gevorgian, told RFE/RL's Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am) on Wednesday that they will now be able to watch
council debates only through monitors to be placed in a separate press
room. He insisted that the measure will not restrict media coverage of
the legislature empowered to elect the city's mayor.
"You don't have to be in the council auditorium," said
Gevorgian. "That must not be seen as a restriction in any
way. Journalists will continue to move freely inside the
[municipality] building on the days of council sessions."
Markarian told his lawyers and press officers on February 19 to
propose ways of "regulating" the work of the press corps accredited by
the municipality. The order came six days after a violent clash
witnessed by a large number of reporters.
Two members of the city council representing the opposition Yerkir
Tsirani party were confronted by their pro-government colleagues when
they tried to hand Markarian glass containers filled with sewage
collected from a damaged sewer pipe in the city's Nubarashen district.
Yerkir Tsirani's Marina Khachatrian, slapped a male councilor
representing the ruling Republican Party (HHK) after being jostled by
him. The latter slapped Khachatrian while another HHK councilor puller
her hair in response. Khachatrian and two other Yerkir Tsirani
members, including the party leader Zaruhi Postanjian, were then
physically forced to leave the hall.
Postanjian and her associates have often argued with HHK councilors
during sessions of the council elected last May. Journalists have
repeatedly witnessed and reported on insults shouted by Markarian's
loyalists at the three outspoken women.
Gevorgian claimed that the mayor's decision to bar the press from
council sessions is not aimed at covering up more such incidents. He
said that the municipal administration will install more video cameras
in the chamber to ensure the transparency of proceedings. The official
noted, however, that live broadcasts of debates could be interrupted
in case of "hooliganism" on the part of councilors.
Markarian's actions following the February 13 incident have drawn
criticism from Armenia's leading media associations. The chairwoman of
the Union of Journalists of Armenia, Satik Seyranian, said they could
"impede legitimate professional activities of reporters" when she met
the mayor on Wednesday. Markarian denied creating such obstacles.
February 21, 2018
Anush Muradian
One week after an embarrassing brawl between pro-government and
opposition members of Yerevan's municipal council, Mayor Taron
Markarian has decided to ban reporters from attending its further
sessions.
Markarian's spokesman, Artur Gevorgian, told RFE/RL's Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am) on Wednesday that they will now be able to watch
council debates only through monitors to be placed in a separate press
room. He insisted that the measure will not restrict media coverage of
the legislature empowered to elect the city's mayor.
"You don't have to be in the council auditorium," said
Gevorgian. "That must not be seen as a restriction in any
way. Journalists will continue to move freely inside the
[municipality] building on the days of council sessions."
Markarian told his lawyers and press officers on February 19 to
propose ways of "regulating" the work of the press corps accredited by
the municipality. The order came six days after a violent clash
witnessed by a large number of reporters.
Two members of the city council representing the opposition Yerkir
Tsirani party were confronted by their pro-government colleagues when
they tried to hand Markarian glass containers filled with sewage
collected from a damaged sewer pipe in the city's Nubarashen district.
Yerkir Tsirani's Marina Khachatrian, slapped a male councilor
representing the ruling Republican Party (HHK) after being jostled by
him. The latter slapped Khachatrian while another HHK councilor puller
her hair in response. Khachatrian and two other Yerkir Tsirani
members, including the party leader Zaruhi Postanjian, were then
physically forced to leave the hall.
Postanjian and her associates have often argued with HHK councilors
during sessions of the council elected last May. Journalists have
repeatedly witnessed and reported on insults shouted by Markarian's
loyalists at the three outspoken women.
Gevorgian claimed that the mayor's decision to bar the press from
council sessions is not aimed at covering up more such incidents. He
said that the municipal administration will install more video cameras
in the chamber to ensure the transparency of proceedings. The official
noted, however, that live broadcasts of debates could be interrupted
in case of "hooliganism" on the part of councilors.
Markarian's actions following the February 13 incident have drawn
criticism from Armenia's leading media associations. The chairwoman of
the Union of Journalists of Armenia, Satik Seyranian, said they could
"impede legitimate professional activities of reporters" when she met
the mayor on Wednesday. Markarian denied creating such obstacles.
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