Armenian News

Azeri Propaganda in the UK

There were six finalists in the BBC2 Master Mind competition on Friday 12 May. 

(for those outside the UK, this is a TV quiz show where competitors have to answer

 2 minutes of very tough questions on a topic of their choice, followed by two and 

a half minutes of very wide-ranging general knowledge questions)

The surprise was that one finalist chose as his selected topic “Azerbaijan from 

1917 to the present”

(note the start date that excludes the true ancestral people in present day Iran).

Not such a shock when this person turned out to be a retired diplomat who had 

the “honour” to be the UK ambassador to that country.

The final featured an interview of each finalist on their choice.

All the others had studio interview, or a location in the UK.

But, lo and behold, our ex-ambassador was interviewed in Baku.

Of course, that required an introduction to the country, including such tit-bits that 

10% was occupied by Armenia (could not have the read the Azeri script well as 

their norm is 20%, and that 1 million refugees were created giving the impression 

there were all Azeris instead it started with Armenians fleeing the pogroms).

It did not work out all their way as one of the questions asked where ethnically 

based killings took place (answer: Sumgait which he knew).

So how come the BBC that has to achieve eye-watering reductions in budget 

funded this expensive trip? (or?)

A career diplomat will retire on a handsome pension: I’ve not got a clue but I would 

think it will well be in excess of an annual £100,000.

So what sort of inducement would our retiree be tempted by to choose such a 

subject?

(my guess is half a million sterling)

NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT ADOPTS FINAL DOCUMENT ON NAGORNO

-KARABAKH

Trend

May 10 2012

Azerbaijan

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) adopted a final document, which

reaffirms the importance of resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

within Azerbaijan's territorial integrity at a ministerial in Egypt,

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev said at a

press briefing.

"The final document was adopted by the NAM Coordinating Bureau on

May 9," Abdullayev said.

He said one of the items of the document confirms that the

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict poses a threat to stability and security

in the region. The NAM member countries reaffirmed the importance

of the conflict resolution based on three internationally recognized

principles - through negotiations, respect for Azerbaijan's territorial

integrity and non-use of force," Abdullayev said.

According to Abdullayev, the fact that the Movement, which includes

120 countries, has adopted such a document proves that Azerbaijan

has a fair position on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov is attending at the

ministerial of the NAM member countries in Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt),

the ministry said.

Mammadyarov will address the ministerial and will hold a series of

bilateral meetings within the event.

Azerbaijan became a member of the Non-Aligned Movement in May 2011.

The Non-Aligned Movement is the second largest political international

organization for its members after the UN. It includes 118 states.

Another 20 countries have observer status.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988

when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian

armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,

including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The

co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. -

are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four

resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the

surrounding regions.

VIOLATION OF BASIC NORMS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW HAS

BECOME USUAL FOR AZERBAIJAN: FM OF ARMENIA

ARMENPRESS

10 May, 2012

YEREVAN

YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Foreign Minister Edward

Nalbandyan, who participates in the works of the meeting of foreign

ministers of Non-Aligned Movement in Sharm El-Sheikh, has delivered

a speech on May 10, Foreign Affairs Ministry press service told

Armenpress.

In his address the minister said he is glad to return to Egypt,

where he has lived and worked for 14 years. Being an observer of

the Non-Aligned Movement, Armenia shares the organization's merits,

based on the goals and principles of the UN Charter.

Referring to the Nagorno Karabakh issue, Edward Nalbandyan said

Azerbaijan became a member of the movement only a year ago, and

already is attempting to mislead the member states of the organization,

taking them against the positions of international community.

"All of you understand the propagating nature of today's

statement voiced by Azerbaijani FM, which does not need additional

interpretation," he said, adding it contradicts the logic, the spirit

and formulations of the negotiation process, which are reflected

in the statements adopted by OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries -

Russia, France, US, in L'Aquila, Muskoka and Deauville.

These documents highlight 3 international principles - non-application

of force, self-determination right of peoples and territorial integrity

as key elements of Nagorno Karabakh settlement.

Unfortunately, the 382nd paragraph ignores the self-determination

right of peoples and does not use internationally accepted "Nagorno

Karabakh issue" wording, Edward Nalbandyan said.

"Similar approach does not only threaten the negotiation process

and the shaky situation in the conflict zone, but also the basic

principles of the countries of the Non-Aligned Movement. Beginning

from its foundation day the self-determination right of people has

been and remains one of the cornerstones of the organization.

The violation of fundamental norms of the international law and of

the gained agreements has become a usual thing for Azerbaijan. In that

regard it is not strange for anyone that Azerbaijan, appearing to be

a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, continues violating "Bandung

Principles", propagating "discrimination and national hatred, or

else how we can describe the Azerbaijani leadership's statements that

"Armenians are Azerbaijan's number one enemy," said Edward Nalbandyan.

RPA Retribution

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 11:00:11 - 12/05/2012

We have learned that some heads of communities in Ararat Marz may be

dismissed for the results of the elections. The RPA received few votes

there, and we have learned that the RPA representatives are conducting

`audit' in the region. They compare the obligations of community heads

and the money disbursed to them. Those who ensured fewer votes will

lose their position. Besides, they are asked to return the part of the

money which has not been `secured' with votes.

In particular, dismissal awaits the mayor of Ararat Abraham Babayan.

According to a source which is close to the RPA, he has received 80

million drams and he is suspected of pocketing the money and

facilitating PA's election.

The same is underway in other regions. Rumors on dismissal of

governors continue, particularly of the governor of Shirak Ashot

Giziryan, the governor of Ararat Edik Barseghyan and the governor of

Syunik Surik Khachatryan. The governor of Ararat Edik Barseghyan is

rumored to be replaced by the ex-chief of police Alik Sargsyan.

ARMENIAN INTEREST RATES STABLE IN APRIL AS INFLATION 

CONTINUES TO EASE

by Venla Sipila

Global Insight

May 9, 2012

The Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) decided to leave its refinancing

rate unchanged at 8.0% in its April monetary policy meeting, Reuters

reports. The policy rate has now remained stable since September 2011.

The decision follows further moderation in inflation pressures.

Indeed, data from the Armenian National Statistical Service showed

that consumer prices grew by just 1.9% year-on-year (y/y) in April,

following a gain of 2.2% y/y in March and 3.0% y/y in February.

In marked contrast to last year, annual food-price growth in April

remained below the gains in other categories: food prices climbed by

1.1% y/y while prices of non-food goods rose by 4.3% y/y and service

tariffs increased by 1.5% y/y. Thus, after food-price inflation had

already in the past two months remained below growth of non-food

prices, in April it was also exceeded by service-price growth.

Month-on-month (m/m) comparison reveals deflation of 0.6%, caused by

m/m easing in food prices. Armenian consumer prices have increased by

2.1% since the beginning of the year, and by 3.0% y/y in JanuaryApril.

Inflation for the whole of 2011 averaged 7.7% (seeArmenia: 11 January

2012:).

Significance:Armenian inflation has now retreated further below

the lower limit of the CBA's target range. The central bank seeks

to keep inflation at 4.0%, with a variation range of 1.5 percentage

points on either side. The clear easing of inflation pressures draws

from a weaker push from food prices. These still play a very large

role in the Armenian consumption basket, so changes have a marked

impact on overall consumer-price inflation. Moreover, as seen in m/m

developments, the impact from lower food prices goes beyond annual

inflation, which is also impacted by base effects from last year.

Inflation outlook at the moment remains fairly benign, taking into

account the reasonably muted demand pressures. Risks naturally arise

from agricultural developments, as a weak harvest would push up food

prices again. On the other hand, inflation will be tempered due to the

very favourable deal reached with Russia over this year's gas import

prices, with no increases seen in 2012. Thus, inflation is likely

to remain well within target in the coming months. Consequently,

interest-rate cuts may follow in the near term.

armenianweekly.com

GUNAYSU: THE REIGN OF LIES IN TURKEY

by Ayse Gunaysu

May 11, 2012

Organized denial means the reign of lies. The denialist, in order to

sustain denial, has to resolutely and incessantly lie. Otherwise it

can't go on. The truth, even bits of information that might hold the

slightest potential of undermining the lie, is the biggest and most

merciless enemy of denial. So the denialist, having created a whole

world of lies, must fight any manifestation of the truth tooth and

nail to survive.

A scene from the genocide commemoration in Istanbul on April 24, 2010.

(Photo: The Armenian Weekly) We in Turkey all live in this world of

lies, so much so that our textbooks, news agencies, official documents,

literature, and even surnames are likely telling us lies. Even our

parents may have told us lies about our family history. Our whole

identity may be a fabrication.

And we, the Muslim majority in this country, believe in lies. Some-a

great many-of us prefer to believe in lies just to be well-accommodated

to our environment; some-again a great many-just for peace of mind,

avoiding asking questions that would upset our inner balance and make

us feel guilty (i.e., the punishment of one's own self is worse than

that by others). And still some of us are paid to believe and make

other people believe in lies.

But lying is not just giving false information. Hiding the truth

is also a lie. So, some of us, even those who consider ourselves

almost totally immune to the official lies (including the writer of

these words), may well be the transporters of this type of lie-the

concealment of truth-thanks to the numbness we have inherited from

our dark past, the numbness that extinguishes our desire to search

for truth.

'You will be back home soon'

Lies were central to the Armenian Genocide right from the start. On the

April 24, 1915 arrests in Istanbul, the Armenian intellectuals were

taken from their homes by policemen who were extremely polite and,

as Aram Andonian recounts in his book Exile, Trauma and Death: On the

Road to Chankiri with Komitas Vartabed (Gomidas Institute, 2010),

they were all told that it would not take more than five minutes,

that they would soon be back home, and that there was no need to worry.

Andonian understood why the policemen had behaved with such

refinement-to not alarm those who were yet to be arrested.

In other parts of the country, they lied to the people who were being

driven out of their villages and towns, assuring them that they could

come back and their property would be kept safe under government

custody until they returned.

The genocidal process unfolded for the coming months and years on

the basis of lies throughout each phase.

The denial of the evil-inconceivable, indescribable, and

irreversible-committed and its regeneration with lies corrupts the

entire system. Denial reproduces itself with lies.

The lie continued to be central in the foundation myths of the

Republic of Turkey. The notorious "war of liberation" of 1919-22 was

also built and sustained on deception. It was presented as a national

uprising for independence; yet, the declared war against the Allied

powers served to wipe out what remained of the non-Muslim communities

of Asia Minor after the Armenian Genocide and the Genocide of the

Assyrians and Greeks.

The Kemalist leadership lied to the Kurds, as well. They convinced

the Kurdish notables to take part in the military campaign as the only

way to stop the Armenians and Greeks from coming back and reclaiming

their confiscated property.

The resistance of the Kurds upon realizing and facing the truth was

violently suppressed each time, and generations of Turks were taught

that the barbaric Kurds-the traitors-had threatened the state, and

that the government had no chance but to bring not only "peace" and

"order" but also "civilization" to the region where "savagery" once

prevailed. This was the lie about the extermination of the Dersim

people in 1938.

Turks are the best of all nations!

An unprecedented series of lies was institutionalized by the new-born

state apparatus via pseudo-historians who were instructed to rewrite

the nation's history-in the form of the famous Turkish History

Thesis, whereby it was "proved" that everything good in the world had

originated from the Turkish nation, and its people were the best in

all categories: honesty, courage, innovation, cleverness, etc.

Lies continued to be the essence of the system in Turkey, a tool

of repression used in every period of Republican history. It would

take volumes of books to mention them all. To give but one example:

It was a lie that Ataturk's home was bombed in Salonika, a lie that

led to the burning alive of Greek priests, the rape of hundreds of

women, lynching incidents, and the desecration of sacred Christian

places during the two-day pogrom in Istanbul on Sept. 6-7, 1955-a

replica of the Kristallnacht-which drove thousands of non-Muslims,

mostly Greeks, from their homeland.

Lies never ceased through the military coups and the pseudo-democracies

in between. Just like the lie that the mosque in Marash was bombed by

the "communists"; this was followed by mass attacks at the homes and

workplaces of Alevis. During the pogrom that lasted two days without

any effective intervention by the police or the military, around 150

Alevis, including children, were butchered by fascist crowds in 1978

under a "democratic," "civilian" government.

'We kill for your good'

The military coup of 1980 and the period that followed-the reign of

terror-was from top to bottom the embodiment of a lie. The military

had taken over power for the good of the nation. Executions, people

dying through torture, prisons full of people, these were all for

the good of the Turkish people.

The 1990's were also dominated by lies. It was never admitted that

thousands of Kurdish villages were burnt and razed to the ground,

causing the forced dislocation of millions of Kurds.

Only after 20 years are bits of truth being revealed about the deaths

of a number of high-ranking officials who served in the hot spots

of the war against the armed Kurdish movement. These officers were

said to have committed suicide, but legal cases were opened by their

families and the deaths have undergone an in-depth investigation, with

more lies brought to light-in the form of false official documents

drawn up by military units, manipulated witness accounts, names of

witnesses who were on duty elsewhere at the time of the incidents, etc.

But the biggest lie unveiled that covers the others like a huge

invisible dome is the lie that the "Turkish people" did not commit

a genocide against the Armenians and other Christian people of this

land, because it is the foundation on which all other lies were built.

Preparations for 2015

The intensity of the lies is increasing nowadays as Turkey ferociously

prepares for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, and for

Armenian organizations across the world commemorating the tragedy.

The Turkish state has not, for the time being, directly or officially

taken the stage, but is employing "civil society" behind-closed-doors

to organize campaigns against the "Armenian lies."

The recent and now-famous Khojaly rally on Feb. 26 was the most

visible one, the first massive public appearance of a new national

mobilization campaign against the Armenians. Although the sponsorship

by both the Turkish and Azerbaijani state was obvious, it was still

presented as a civil initiative.

Universities are leading this "civil" campaign. During recent months,

"scholarly" denialist performances were staged at Suleyman Demirel

University in Isparta, Dumlupinar University in Kutahya, Afyon Kocatepe

University, and Erzurum Ataturk University. This denialist campaign

has even adopted the strategy of infiltrating the social structure

by making use of popular culture, an extremely powerful medium for

gaining control over the mind of the man on the street.

TV drama series about 'Armenian lies'

The majority of Turks, it seems, is addicted to TV series-unending

productions about love, hatred, deadly plots, defeat, and victory.

They are in the center of the daily lives of the most crowded stratum

in Turkey, the middle class. Now, a TV series on "Armenian issue" is

being prepared. On the internet, a description of the show maintains

that it will not be disseminating hatred and hostility between Armenian

and Turkish people, that instead it will tell the "truth."

But-surprise!-the "consultants" engaged for the new drama series,

from academia, are all renowned denialists who are taking part in

university conferences about the "Armenian atrocities" in Khojaly;

who are writing denialist books; who are acting as spokespersons of

the official state thesis. What's more, the producer has long sat

on the executive bodies of the ruling AK Party and is a member of

the city council of one of the most densely populated districts of

Istanbul representing her party. Lies about Armenian history will,

through popular culture, be much more easily and convincingly injected

into people's than through scientific and academic studies.

What about the 'pro-Armenians'?

I mentioned, in the beginning, those of us "...who consider ourselves

almost totally immune to the official lies." In the Feb. 27 issue

of the daily Radikal, considered the only "leftish" newspaper in

the mainstream press, an article by Onur Caymaz, a progressive,

democratic-minded writer, appeared. Caymaz in his piece wholeheartedly

condemned the hate speech used in the Khojaly rally in Taksim. So

much so that his heading was, "We are all bastards!" in answer to

the banner at the rally, which read, "You are all Armenians, you are

all bastards!"

After expressing his disgust over such Armenian hatred (quite

impressively, I should confess), he provided an example to assure

readers that he was not siding with any one atrocity over another, no

matter who did it. For this purpose he quoted from a "book" said to be

titled Revival of Our Souls by Zori Balayan, "who personally took part

in the Khojaly massacre," and depicted the torture he committed against

a 13-year-old "Turkish" boy in Khojaly. The quotation is quite long,

with Balayan describing with obvious pleasure and self-satisfaction

the details of how he skinned the abdomen and limbs of the boy, whose

mother's "cut off breast" was tucked into his mouth to stop him from

screaming with pain. The quotation goes on, with Balayan explaining how

he was "a medical doctor and a humanist by profession" but still was

not shaken to see the boy die of bleeding in seven minutes; instead,

he experienced a "revival of is soul" for "avenging one hundredth of

what Turks had done" to his ancestors.

Even if one didn't know that there was no such book by Zori Balayan,

it should be quite obvious, from the language used in depicting the

torture, that the quotation was wholly made up. What was shocking is

that the quotation was repeated not by a Turkish ultra-nationalist,

an Armenian hater, but from a person who sincerely denounces racism

and discrimination. A couple of days after the publication of this

article, Caymaz wrote in his personal blog that he was wrong, that it

was evident that Zori Balayan had not written such a book, and that

the quotation was false. He said he had heard about the book from an

Azeri physician in a panel discussion on TV. Caymaz apparently didn't

have even the slightest inclination that a member of a warring party

might lie. But where did he find that quotation? I searched it myself,

and found that it appeared only on ultra-nationalist Turkish websites.

Even this did not give him a clue. And the Radikal newspaper's

editorial staff didn't find the outrageously cruel quotation doubtful

either. Lies, thus, easily found their way into the "progressive"

media and their audience.

Lies for all of us

I also said in the beginning, "including the writer of these words,"

when talking about being the transporter of that specific type of lie,

i.e. hiding the truth. It was only a few months ago that I came across

the story of ASALA member Levon Ekmekjian, who was executed by hanging

in 1983 in Ankara under the military rule, on charges of being one of

the perpetrators of the "Esenboga massacre" in Ankara in 1982. We, the

members or sympathizers of Turkish socialist-revolutionary parties and

groups of that time, some of us in prison, some in hiding in Turkey,

some political refugees in foreign countries, took for granted the

military rule's account of the Esenboga attack. Even if there were

individuals who were exceptions, they have never been vocal. The

absolute silence about Ekmekjian in the memoirs of "revolutionaries"

and books compiling the stories of persons executed under the military

regime of the 1980's clearly indicate how we avoided questioning the

official account about ASALA's Esenboga attack, and how we simply

ignored the case of Ekmekjian.

A crack in the most fortified stronghold

But life incorporates in itself such dynamism, and therefore is

always exposed to such unexpected surprises, that no plan to hide

the truth can perfectly serve its purpose forever, as long as there

is the human element involved.

Nowadays in the social media articles are being circulated about

Levon Ekmekjian-his photographs, memoirs of his comrades-and quite

a number of Turkish and Kurdish people are eagerly exchanging the

newly absorbed information between them. This is especially important

as the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia is perhaps

the only single topic that is still absolutely untouchable among all

other topics related to the Armenian Question in Turkey, even by the

socialist movements, and remains an invaluable tool of manipulation

by the denialist apparatus.

With the Khojaly rally in Istanbul, the official lies about the

Karabagh conflict have also become vulnerable as people, at least

those who want to know the truth, gain more and more access to the

Armenian side's account of events.

Yes, organized denial means the reign of lies. But even the most

fortified stronghold of lies is doomed to collapse no matter how long

it takes for a crack to branch out and spread through, undermining

the whole structure. It only needs the human mind to question, refuse

to be convinced, need more to learn, and tell others. And Turkey is

no exception to this general rule.

AT