An invitation to return to our lands
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AN INVITATION FROM A RETIRED MILITARY
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| To read the complete article click here | ||
| These atrocities and massacres were not only regularly reported on in European and US newspapers, but were also evidenced in the official documents of Britain and the US and even Germany and Austria, which were allies of the Ottoman Empire, and in the minutes of the Ottoman Court Martial (Divan-ı Harbi), the descriptions of diplomats and missionaries, in commission reports and in the memoirs of those who survived them.
No justification, even the fact that some Armenian groups revolted with certain claims and collaborated with foreign countries, can be offered for this human tragedy. It is misleading to discuss what happened with reference to genocide, which is merely a legal and technical term. No technical term is vast enough to contain these incidents, which are therefore indescribable. Atrocities and massacres are incompatible with human values. It is more degrading to be regarded as a criminal in the collective conscience of humanity than to be tried on charges of genocide. A regime that hinges upon concealing and denying the truth will make the state and the society sick and decadent. The politicians, academics, journalists, historians and clerical officials in Turkey should try to ensure that the society can face the truth. To face the truth is to become free. We can derive no honour or dignity from defending our ancestors who were responsible for these tragedies. It is not a humane or ethical stance to support and defend the actions of Abdul Hamid II and senior CUP members and their affiliated groups, gangs and marauders. Turkey should declare to the world that it accepts said atrocities and massacres and that in connection with this, it advocates the highest human values of truth, justice and humanism while condemning the mentality and actions of those who committed them in the past. After this is done, it should invite all Armenians living in the Diaspora to become citizens of the Turkish Republic. As the Armenians of the Diaspora return to the geography where their ancestors lived for thousands of years before being forced to abandon it, leaving behind their property, memories and past, this may serve to abate their sorrow, which has now translated into anger. The common border with Armenia should be opened without putting forward any condition. This is what conscience, humanity and reason direct us to do. Turkey will become free by getting rid of its fears, complexes and worries by soothing the sorrows of Armenians. | ||
| In response to Kardash (1) | ||
| Such people should be commended. I hope such people in Turkey will stay this course. But the issue of Armenian Genocide goes beyond emotions and good feelings caused by some kind words by some kind (and yes, courageous) Turkish intellectuals. The Armenian Genocide is a legal and political issue, where emotions and kind words have no place. The Turkish language is a treasure trove for nice words - "sekerim, guzelim, etc..." - and the Turkish people - especially the politicians - are lavish in their usage of such nice words. As long as nice words and apologies are not coupled with deeds setting the record straight and establishing justice by just restitution, we should be careful in our accolade for people such as judge Kardas. Remember, the leadership of Ittihad ve Terakki also uttered nice words to Armenians while they were planning the first Genocide of the 20th Century.
Seto Boyadjian, Attorney at Law, California | ||
| In response to Kardash (2) | ||
| Judge Kardash assumes to have found the “just” solution to the Armenian question. His solution, of course, is full of smoke and mirror. First, Judge Kardaş discusses at length Raphael Lemkin, the genesis of the word "Genocide", and the adoption of the U.N. Genocide Convention. But he cleverly avoids to mention that Lemkin considered the Armenian massacres as a defining example of his newly coined "Genocide". But to mention that would destroy his entire thesis. Next, the judge elevates the Armenian massacres to a higher level of criminal act than what is purported by the term "Genocide." He claims that it would be misleading to consider the Armenians massacres by the “technical” term of “Genocide”, because, as he puts it, “No technical term is vast enough to contain these incidents, which are therefore indescribable”. Of course, we know why the honourable judge is refusing to label the massacres as "Genocide." He shuns that term with the pretext that it is "merely a legal and technical term." But as a judge he knows very well that when a criminal act is grounded on legal basis, it requires retribution and restitution. Hence the judge’s heart pours out to consider the Armenian massacres as being greater than "Genocide". This way his trick is to bypass the legal consequences by elevating the Armenian massacres to a higher crime than the technically defined crime of "Genocide". At the same time the judge’s attempt is to show that Turks have a great heart - "Armenians, you want it to be called Genocide, we want to accept it as a crime higher than Genocide!" Now that the judge has stripped the Armenian massacres from any legal consequences, he suggests that Turkey and the Turkish leadership face the truth and acknowledge the Armenian “tragedy” (not the “Genocide”). Once this acknowledgement is done, he proposes, as a just solution, that Turkey invite all Armenians living in the Diaspora to become citizens of the Turkish Republic. The honourable judge forgets to add that this “invitation” should go out with the following message: “Ermeni kardaslar, come back, we forgive you.” Obviously this military judge seems to believe that crime does pay.
Seto Boyadjian, Attorney at Law California | ||
| "ORPHANS OF THE GENOCIDE" | ||
| WATCH THE TRAILER OF THE DOCUMENTARY here | ||
| "Orphans of the Genocide" is an 18 minute short documentary dedicated to over 150,000 Armenian orphans of the Genocide.
The inspiration to this story was a recent article by award winning journalist Robert Fisk of "The Independent" Magazine depicting Silicon Valley engineer Maurice Missak Kelechian's scientific research, which led to the unveiling of an Armenian orphanage in Antoura near Beirut-Lebanon, operated by Ahmad Jemal Pasha and served as a "Turkification" center. This orphanage housed a thousand Armenian orphans.
Currently the producers of "Orphans of the Genocide" are working on a 60 minute version of the documentary featuring an exclusive interview by Robert Fisk. | ||
| Interview with Sevag Seropian | ||
 Q - Having learned of all the activities that you undertook, I realise that your elaboration for each activity is essential. Let us begin with KOHAR Symphony Orchestra.
A - I started to work with KOHAR in 2000. KOHAR performs songs which have already entered our blood and memories. We are now trying to modify and modernise these songs, without changing them of course. I am the executive producer of KOHAR,with a large group working with me. Our team travels a lot. We have performed in Cyprus, Beirut, Istanbul, Moscow, six states of the USA , Canada, Aleppo and Damascus. Q - Are you also working with the KOHARAPAYL team? A - Regarding KOHAR and KOHARAPAYL, the founder and the sponsor is Mr. Harout Khatchadourian, a Lebanese Armenian who is ... the rest of the interview here | ||
| NEW ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR GAGIK GALACHYAN PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO PRESIDENT CHRISTOFIAS AND MEETS WITH PARLIAMENT HEAD MARIOS GAROYIAN | ||
| Gibrahayer - Nicosia - The new Armenian Ambassador in Cyprus Gagik Galachyan, presented his credentials to President Demetris Christofias on Thursday 6 May. The following day, Armenia's Ambassador met with the President of the House of Representatives of Cyprus Marios Garoyian, Foreign Minister Marcos Kyprianou and Defense Minister Costas Papacostas. The parties stressed the high level of bilateral relations and political dialogue between Yerevan and Nicosia, noting the effectiveness of inter-parliamentary cooperation. During his stay, he also visited the Nareg School and then the Melkonian grounds on Wednesday, May 5 and on Friday evening he also attended a reception of Chairmen of Armenian Cypriot community organisations and Media, hosted at the home of Armenian MP Vartkes Mahdessian. | ||
| VIDEOS AND IMAGES OF THE PILGRIMAGE
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| To view 75 images of the Pilgrimage to Saint Magar Monastery, video of the prayers and ceremony (picture above) and the RIK1 report of the pilgrimage,
click here http://gibrahayer.com/index.php5?&page_id=118&path=118 | ||
| Sunday 9 May 2010 - Press release from the Office of the Armenian Representative - The Office of the Representative of the Armenian Community, Vartkes Mahdessian, in co-operation with the Armenian Prelature of Cyprus, organised last Sunday 9 May 2010 the third visit-pilgrimage to the Sourp Magar Monastery (Magaravank). The first time was on 6 May 2007, when Armenian Cypriots visited the occupied Armenian Monastery as a community after 33 years. According to the Representative’s Office, around 200 Armenian Cypriots visited the monastery on Sunday, some of whom came especially from abroad.
The monastery was founded by Copts around the year 1000 AD and in 1425 it was inherited by the Armenians. It is dedicated to Saint Makarios the Hermit of Alexandria and it is located in the eastern part of the Turkish-occupied Pendadhaktylos at an altitude of 550 metres and a small distance from Halevga, within the Plataniotissa forest. The vast land of the monastery, which is over 8.000 donums, includes 30.000 olive and carob trees, extends up to the sea and is known to be picturesque and idyllic. From the monastery one can see the Taurus mountain range in Cilicia, which is right opposite. The Armenian Monastery had been for centuries a popular pilgrimage for Armenians and non-Armenians and a place of recuperation for Catholicoi (Patriarchs) and other clerics from Cilicia, Jerusalem and Armenia, as well as a popular centre for local and foreign travellers and for pilgrims en route to the Holy Land. Furthermore, the monastery was used as a summer resort, where Armenian scouts and students would camp, including students of the Melkonian Educational Institute, many of whom were orphans of the Armenian Genocide. A large number of exquisite and priceless manuscripts, dating back to 1202, as well as other valuable ecclesiastical relics were housed there. Fortunately, in 1947 some of them were saved when they were transferred to the “Cilicia” museum of the Catholicosate of Cilicia. The Magaravank is the only Armenian monastery in Cyprus and together with the church of the Virgin Mary in occupied Nicosia, it is the most important Armenian church monument on the island. It was occupied in 1974 during the Turkish invasion and ever since it remains at the mercy of nature, silent, ruined, desecrated and deserted, awaiting for its rightful owners to return. | ||
| ARCHBISHOP OF CYPRUS VISITS ARMENIAN PRELATURE | ||
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| Armenian Prelature press release - Nicosia May 2 - Archbishop Varoujan and the Executive (Varchagan) Council of the Armenian Prelacy welcomed His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos II, on Monday 26th April for an informal meeting and dinner at the Prelature in Nicosia.
This was the first visit of His Beatitude since his election in 2009 as Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus. The Archbishop was accompanied by a Representative from the Church of Greece, Metropolitan Panteleimon of Koronia, as well as the Ecumenical Officer of the Church of Cyprus, Bishop Gregorios of Mesaoria. Also present at the meeting were the Ecumenical Officer of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, Bishop Nareg, local priests Der Mashdots and Der Momig, and members of the Varchagan. The two sides agreed to have further meetings at various levels, to organise joint events and exchanges at parish level, to promote co-ordination at ecumenical level and to co-operate in efforts to access, protect, restore and use religious sites in the occupied areas of Cyprus. | ||
| HAY AGOUMP IN 1939
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| We begin our feeble attempt as follows:
4th row from the bottom up: Second from left - Haroutiun Dedeyian, fourth from left Shant Medadzoumian 3rd row from the bottom: - Fourth from the left Karnig and Nazig Kouyoumdjian, Far right Moushegh Bedelian | ||
| GIBRAHAYER CALENDAR OF EVENTS | ||
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| News in Brief - by Sevag Devletian | ||
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| NAREG MARZAHANTES TODAY WEDNESDAY 11 MAY 5:00 PM | ||
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| Announcement from Nareg | ||
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| Letters to the Editor | ||
| Friday, May 7 2010
Letters to the Editor - The Washington Times - 3600 New York Avenue, NE Washington, DC To the Editor: Cyprus gained its independence from the British Empire in 1960, but even the British Ministry of Defense could not deny that for 3,500 years, Cyprus' Greek identity of language and culture has been retained ("There are Turkish Cypriots, too," Letters, Monday). Over the centuries, numerous empires have come and gone, and quite a few ethnic communities have blossomed in Cyprus: Armenians, Latins and even Arab Maronites. But it was the yoke of the British Empire that sought to force the impression of "two peoples" on the island in order to implement its partition plans. During the 1955-59 struggle to liberate Cyprus, not a single Turkish Cypriot participated. Instead, the British, with the aid of Turkey, established the Turkish terrorist organizations Volgan and TMT to attack Greek Cypriots and other communities, including even the Turkish Cypriots. It was the British who recruited the Turkish Cypriots into their police and security forces to crack down on anti-colonial activism. The Turkish military invasion did not protect anyone's interests but those of the mass murderers and rapists who pillaged the property of anyone who was not Turkish. Scores of Greek and Armenian monasteries and churches have been forcibly converted into hotels and casinos, and the Turkish military recently went so far as to bulldoze a Neolithic settlement in order to plant Turkish flags. In his letter, Timur Edib, former president of the Maryland American Turkish Association, talks of the "balance" the Green Line has lent to Cyprus. Balance? Hardly. Just ask the multitudes of nationalities that were displaced forcibly or murdered by the Turkish military on the "Turkish-and-only-Turkish" side of the Attila Line. NIKOLAOS TANERIS Press officer, Cyprus Action Network of America - New York | ||
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| Speech by Dr. Antranik Ashdjian - Chairman of the Executive Council of the Armenian National Administration of Cyprus at the Dialogue Seminar on ‘‘Religious freedom in the Republic of Cyprus’’ European Parliament, Wednesday 14 April | ||
 First of all, on behalf of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church in Cyprus I would like to thank the Representation of the Church of Cyprus to the European Union, the Society Commission of the Conference of European Churches and MEP Dr. Eleni Theocharous, for the invitation to attend and address this Seminar.
The Republic of Cyprus has been, since its establishment in 1960, a truly multicultural, multi-religious mosaic. The Constitution of the Republic itself recognised the existence of two larger and three smaller communities, and identified them on the basis of their ethnic origin and religious background. The Armenian community living on the island and having its own national identity, cultural heritage, language and of course, its religious identity and corresponding places of worship, was fortunate enough to be included as one of these five groups. more click here | ||
| 70 ARMENIANS ELECTED IN LEBANESE GOVERNING BODIES | ||
| PanARMENIAN.Net - Editor-in-chief of Beirut-based Aztag paper Shahan Kandaharian said that over 70 Armenians have been elected to different posts in local self-government bodies of Lebanon as a result of elections in three cities of Lebanon.
Such results could be achieved only through unification of the country’s Armenians, Kandaharian told a PanARMENIAN.Net. According to Kandaharian, almost all successful candidates were from the ARF Dashnaktsoutiun, while representatives of Henchag social-democratic party and Ramkavar Azatakan party were elected heads of Beirut districts – one from each party. Besides, two Armenians have been elected as mayors, which is a unique phenomenon for the Diaspora. | ||
| Armenian National Committee reports on recent success in London elections | ||
| Labour has taken back Ealing Council after 4 years of Conservative rule. A massive swing back to Labour occurred with the following results:
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| Armenian Sports by Sevag Devletian | ||
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| Gibrahay Sports by Sevag Devletian | ||
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| Armenian Premier League - Week 7 Results and standings | ||
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| 1st - Pyunik 17 points, 2nd - Mika 16 points, 3rd - Banants 14 points, 4th - Ulysses 14 points, 5th - Impuls 10 points, 6th - Kilikia 6 points, 7th - Gand |
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